Together, the duo may look like the stars of a CW drama, but Paige VanZant and Sage Northcutt are prizefighters in mixed martial arts' pre-eminent promotion. Just how good they can be remains to be seen and becomes the money question regarding their respective sports futures. One thing remains clear, however: the UFC is in their corners, ready to promote either or both to the moon.
The UFC's business model is incumbent upon building stars, recognizable names that draw a crowd to either television or pay-per-view, but that practice remains more art than science, a kind of abstract operation with so many variables that it can never be performed with any guarantee.
That said, the promotion is all in on both VanZant and Northcutt, pairing them together as highlighted fighters in its upcoming UFC Fight Night 80 show. VanZant is headlining opposite Rose Namajunas, while Northcutt will be prominently featured on the TV card facing Cody Pfister.
How ready is the UFC to pull the trigger on their promotion? Recently, while on ESPN to promote the upcoming UFC 194 matchup between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor, UFC president Dana White was asked about fighters to keep an eye on. He named three. Among them: VanZant and Northcutt, this despite the fact that they have a total of 13 pro fights between them.
In addition to that, they blasted a UFC Embedded series for the event to their 2.4 million YouTube subscribers, focusing mainly on VanZant and Northcutt.
In MMA terms, they are babies, untested and mostly unproven. Some would even argue they are undeserving of the spotlight they are drawing, but the reality of the promotion requires a constant shuffling of prospects. Out with the old and in with the new.
VanZant and Northcutt are the newest and freshest faces the UFC machine has engaged, and the reasoning is simple. For all of MMA's athletic complexity, much of its draw is cosmetic. VanZant, a 21-year-old bubbly blonde, was at least briefly a child actor before spending time as a dancer. Northcutt, just 19, looks like a model and was linked in the past to popular actress Bella Thorne.
While their aesthetics have played an undeniable role in their early push, the complexities of the sport will require much more for long-term success. Most major draws have only a few things in common: they win and they're outspoken.
Given the newness of the women's strawweight division?its first fight was only 18 months ago?VanZant has already vaulted into the top 10, coming in ranked No. 7 after wins over Kailin Curran, Felice Herrig and Alex Chambers. A win over Namajunas, who is currently ranked No. 3, would move her into contention for the belt. She's currently a slight favorite, with some experts predicting her relentless pace and smothering style will give fits to her rangy, slick opponent.
But then what? There are many schools of thought on how to handle young fighters to maximize their growth, and one of them begs for slower builds, allowing them to round out their games before being matched up with the division's best and perhaps becoming exposed.
VanZant's ceiling, whatever it is, is probably a few years away, yet a win has her in instant contention, meaning she will almost certainly be considered for a title match. This despite the fact that just a few months ago, her management team publicly stated they were hoping for a slow and steady build.
"It’s not a surprise I’m young in the sport," VanZant said on a recent conference call. "I’m the new athlete. I’ve always been an athlete, but as far as competing in MMA, I only had one amateur fight and then I went straight pro. So, I don’t know. I listened to the UFC, I listened to my managers and I let the cards unfold. And right now, this is a perfect fight for me. And I’m going to focus on this fight. But obviously after beating someone ranked No. 3, there’s not very many people above them to get to the champ."
Northcutt will have a much longer march up the ladder. His division is the most densely populated in the UFC, with 110 lightweights contracted, according to UFCFightersInfo, a site that tracks roster data. Because of that alone, there is more opportunity to control his path forward.
Take note of all the critiques I've made of Paige VanZant. She will get exposed soon enough. She is pure hype, like Ronda's striking.
— Fury's Fight Picks (@FurysFightPicks) November 17, 2015
Both fighters have taken steps to smooth their rides. VanZant has made Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California, her home, training with a historically successful stable of lighter-weight fighters, including Urijah Faber and Chad Mendes. She is also signed with MMA, Inc., the management team that has guided the careers of stars like Faber and Chael Sonnen.
Meanwhile, Northcutt recently took a trip to Montreal to see how he fit in at Tristar Gym, the home base of former UFC champ Georges St-Pierre and welterweight star Rory MacDonald. After the test run, he has committed to continuing his training there, under the tutelage of respected strategist Firas Zahabi.
But even those professional decisions haven't served to temper the backlash of detractors who feel their respective pushes are unwarranted.
Fellow UFC lightweight Kevin Lee, for example, said he expected Northcutt will "live the shortest career that the UFC has known." Meanwhile, UFC heavyweight Alistair Overeem referred to him as a "p---y," which brought laughs from a group of fighters and coaches, including No. 1 lightweight contender Donald Cerrone.
Aisling Daly recently called VanZant "protected," "inexperienced" and "sloppy," although the first label came before the UFC matched her up with Namajunas.
On the other hand, UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson recently suggested VanZant has the goods to beat champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Regardless of the many opinions, there are eyes on both, and there are expectations that will either be missed, met or exceeded. There are worse fates. Take for instance, blue-chip bantamweight Aljamain Sterling, who is a perfect 11-0, ranked No. 5 in the division and coming off the first arm triangle choke from bottom in UFC history. Despite all that, he's buried on the Fight Pass prelims, where a fraction of the TV audience will see him.
Sterling is certainly deserving of a wider platform?it is believed his card placement is due to an expiring contract?but these are the decisions the UFC has to make every day. There are only so many resources to go around, and right now the UFC has its focus on Paige and Sage. How far they go is mostly a function of their success, but they have a leg up on the rest of the roster. The machine is in their corner. The sport's eyes are fully on them. Now it's time to deliver or risk being replaced by the next, next big thing.
