Starting off this weekends three day ‘MMArathon’ is UFC Fight Night: Paige VanZant vs. Rose Namajunas, in Las Vegas, Thursday 10th.
The event is a Fight Pass exclusive, meaning you’ll have to be a subscriber to the UFC’s streaming service to watch.
Coined the ‘Paige & Sage’ card, the focus of the event appears to be on young up and comers.
In the main event, we see Paige VanZant facing off against Rose Namajunas, about which I wrote at length here.
That fight sees two scrappy fighters in a battle of pressure. VanZant is a fighter who rushes forward, gets her opponent in the clinch and doesn’t let up until the final bell. Namajunas is rangier fighter, who can get find herself captured in the emotion of the fight, and start swinging for the fences.
The key to success here for both women is about who can control the pressure. Namajunas has struggled with grinding wrestlers before, and Paige certainly fits into that category. If Rose can keep the younger fighter at bay with kicks and jabs, she may find herself using superior footwork to get the victory.
Elsewhere on the card, we’re seeing Sage Northcutt making his second UFC appearance. The 19 year old is coming into the fight with an abnormal amount of hype behind him. With chiseled good looks, a ridiculous physique and a Hollywood smile, Northcutt stands out as a potential super athlete and star for the future.
Found on Dana White’s new show “Looking for a fight”, Northcutt is somewhat of an unknown in regards to his ability. He has a karate background, but in his debut against Francisco Travino, he showed blistering pace and a great takedown.
Opposite him is Cody “The Pfist” Pfister, who was most recently seen besting Yosdenis Cedeno in a unanimous decision. The Pfist has garnered attention recently by making pointed accusations at Northcutt involving performance enhancing drugs.
“From what I’ve heard [Northcutt’s] been drug tested like four times,” Pfister said to Bloody Elbow. “I think that says something. He’s f***ing jacked, I’m sure he’s juicing, but who knows.
“I might be wrong on that and he’s just naturally gifted, but it doesn’t matter.”
Northcutt, for his part, has taken the jibes in stride.
“I would never use any banned substances,” Northcutt said (again to Bloody Elbow). “I train as hard, or harder, than anyone, I am an extremely disciplined athlete, and I have literally been in the best shape that I can possibly be from the first time I started competing. I’ve been dieting on the exact same diet since I was five or six years old. Everybody that knows me knows that’s true, and that I’ve been training three to four hours a day my entire life.
“I realize no one knows me in the MMA world, but all those that know me from sport karate can tell you about my work ethic. And, if I look good enough to look like I’m cheating, I’ll take it as a compliment. Maybe all of those people who assume I’m on something should try the same regiment of strict dieting for fifteen years and working out for three to four hours a day, six to seven days a week, and of course having good genetics plays a big part also.”
The fight is supposedly a meeting of wrestlers, though Northcutt appears to show superior striking, as well as athleticism. It’s really an opportunity for both fighters to show what they can do, and it’s an interesting moment to see Sage’s current level before he begins to train at Tri-Star gym, and to see if Pfister can derail the hype train.
Other fights on the card include Jim Miller facing off with Michael Chiesa, and Bantamweight #5 Aljamin Sterling versus Johnny Eduardo (#10). The fight is rumoured to be Sterling’s last fight on his UFC contract, so look for him to put on a solid performance to begin testing the free market. We also see TUF 17 veteran Kevin Casey facing off against Antonio Carlos Junior.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT ODDS:
- Namajunas vs VanZant
+150 / -175
- Miller vs Chiesa
+105 / -125
- Northcutt vs Pfister
-1050 / +725
- Theodorou vs Santos
-245 / +210
- Means vs Howard
-340 / +280
- Akhmedov vs Moraes
-135 / +115
- Carlos Junior vs Casey
-285 / +245
- Sterling vs Eduardo
-650 / +475
- Ponzinibbio vs Stahl
-185 / +160
