Sage Northcutt believes UFC-Austin win was deserving, plans to shore up mistakes

AUSTIN, Texas – There may have been some debate among fans about Sage Northcutt deserving to win a unanimous decision over Thibault Gouti at UFC Fight Night 126, but the way Northcutt saw it, there was no doubt.

Yes, he conceded, Gouti (12-4 MMA, 1-4 UFC) completed more takedowns than he did. What he didn’t do, Northcutt (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) maintained, was convert them into effective offense.

“I was glad that when he got the takedowns I was able to stop any kind of strikes or submissions he could do,” Northcutt told MMAjunkie. “So he never even worked off my legs, didn’t get one punch on the ground, didn’t get one elbow, one knee. I stopped all that. I would have liked to have gotten up faster off the ground, but I’m going to improve that for sure.”

The victory gives Northcutt his first winning streak since 2015, when he won back-to-back fights upon entering the UFC before being submitted by Bryan Barberena. Still, his FS1-televised performance Sunday from Frank Erwin Center did highlight some areas in which Northcutt knows he needs to round out his game.

“I’m definitely going to go back and improve for sure,” Northcutt said. “I’m with the perfect team to do that. Team Alpha Male, my coach Urijah Faber, so I’m going to go back and improve my game, make all the little things that I didn’t do correctly or could have done better, make them like 10 times better.”

Of course, it’s also worth noting that Northcutt’s only two losses have come in the welterweight division. Making the cut to lightweight might be difficult, especially as he ages and continues to pack on muscle, but for now it’s where he plans to stay.

“Going into 155 (pounds), the last few pounds are pretty tough for me, but I feel like I’m one of the bigger, stronger 155 (pounders),” he said. “So that’s good. I feel like 155 is my weight class for now. In the future, if I grow three inches taller, if I do, and get a few more inches on my arm length and my leg length like my brother, for instance, then I can fight back up at 170.”

For complete covearge of UFC Fight Night 126, check out the UFC Events section of the site.