UFC: Sage Northcutt, 19-Year-Old Lightweight, Wins UFC Debut In 57 Seconds

Nineteen-year-old lightweight Sage Northcutt became the youngest fighter ever to win his UFC debut and the third youngest ever to debut for the UFC with a 57-second TKO victory over Francisco Trevino in an exciting fight that may have birthed a new star for the UFC, reports Dave Doyle of Yahoo! Sports.

Northcutt, the Texas A&M petroleum engineering student, reigned strikes upon Trevino trapping him against the cage before Northcutt took him to the canvas to continue the barrage. UFC veteran referee Herb Dean stopped the fight when it became apparent to everybody but Trevino that he was unable to defend against Northcutt’s blitzkrieg at the 57-second mark of the first round.

Trevino, unhappy with what he perceived to be an early stoppage, yelled at and even shoved Dean following the fight, an act which not only will see consequences from the UFC, but is also being investigated by the Texas State Athletic Commission.

Northcutt celebrated the win with a cartwheel and a backflip following the win, jubilant acts which have garnered Northcutt viral attention in the weeks leading up to UFC 192 as he began showing footage and holding open practices during his training headed into the fight. Following the bout, Northcutt said the experience was everything he had envisioned, according to ESPN‘s Brett Okamoto.

“This feels amazing, it’s such an honor to be here. The crowd, everyone around the UFC, were all amazing and this was just an incredible experience. I’ve been training for this since I was four. The fight went just how I visualized it. I thought about throwing kicks to kind of intimidate him and see what he was going to do. I caught him and just followed up with some elbows.”

UFC President Dana White, who the clean cut Northcutt continuously referred to as “Mr. White,” said that Northcutt looked “unbelievable.” Northcutt, who ran improved his undefeated record to 6-0, seemed ready for the inevitable backlash his newfound stardom will surely bring and spoke about being focused simply on fighting again as soon as possible.

“It could be the hair. I don’t know, maybe it’s the hair? Maybe it’s because I’m smiling all the time? Maybe that’s not intimidating. I don’t know, but I like being happy. I like smiling. I’m just a happy guy doing this. I’m a bubbly, happy guy. I think this is fun. I know people want to get out there and they’re all tattooed up and they’re all serious and stuff and ready to fight. I’m ready to fight, but I still have a smile on my face at the same time.”

“I want to fight again as soon as I possibly can. I know there’s a card in Australia and South Korea…either of those would be great. I can’t wait for the next one. Whatever Dana White and Joe Silva have planned for me, I’m ready. I’m ready for whatever comes next.”

[Photo image: Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC]