Stars of tomorrow? UFC boss Dana White points to Paige VanZant, Sage Northcutt

The UFC is on the verge of completing one of its most successful years to date. Much credit for that can be paid to the emergence of several new big-name fighters on the roster.

Although Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey dominate much of the headlines, there are others within the organization primed to make the leap into superstardom.

ESPN’s “First Take” recently asked UFC President Dana White about fighters he believes could help carry events for the company years into the future. He listed two names in specific – Paige VanZant (6-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) and Sage Northcutt (7-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC), both of whom fight at UFC Fight Night 80 on Thursday in Las Vegas.

“Paige VanZant vs. Rose Namajunas – two huge up-and-coming stars that are going to battle this early in their career,” White said. “One of them is going to go on.

“Another kid on that card – his name is Sage Northcutt. Sage Northcutt is a kid I just found – we started a new show called ‘Dana White: Looking for a Fight.’ That’s where I found Sage Northcutt, and the kid exploded off the show. He’s an incredible talent. Check him out.”

VanZant and Northcutt are two names that stick out for White as the UFC approaches a weekend when more than 60 athletes will compete across three events on three consecutive nights.

UFC Fight Night 80 takes place Thursday at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and streams on UFC Fight Pass. The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale goes down Friday at the same venue. And UFC 194 takes place Saturday, Dec. 12, at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

VanZant has been primed to be a future star for the company ever since she made her UFC debut less than two years ago. The 21-year-old has built a solid octagon record in her short UFC career, but the main event matchup with Namajunas will provide further information about whether she’s simply a good fighter or has something more to be truly special.

“12 Gauge” has already helped the women’s side of the sport reach a new level, because her headlining bout against Namajunas will be the first time a non-title women’s fight is granted UFC main event status.

Northcutt is scheduled to compete minutes prior to VanZant at UFC Fight Night 80. The 19-year-old is the youngest fighter on the UFC roster and has garnered plenty of attention with just one UFC fight under his belt.

“Super” scored a 57-second knockout of Francisco Trevino at UFC 192 in October and makes a quick turnaround for a lightweight showdown with Cody Pfister.

At just 21 and 19 years old, the future is very bright for VanZant and Northcutt. Their potential in the sport is limitless, but it will take time to grow into athletes fans will routinely spend time and money to watch on pay-per-view, which is the sport’s ultimate gauge of worth.

White said he has high hopes for VanZant and Northcutt, but only time will determine their success. In the interim he mentioned several others that will help carry the UFC’s momentum into 2016.

“We also have Chris Weidman coming up against Luke Rockhold this weekend, we’ve got Conor McGregor vs. Jose Aldo,” White said. “Jon Jones is coming back, we have Daniel Cormier, and the list goes on and one. We have a ton of stars and we have a lot of up-and-coming stars right now. The sport’s never been stronger, and it just continues to grow.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 80, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.