Muay Thai champion and coach Ilya Grad had a sparring session with UFC lightweight Sage Northcutt this week and while Grad has high praise for the rising talent, he argued in a subsequent Instagram post Northcutt's father is overprotective and damaging to his career. Video of the sparring session soon emerged and Northcutt's father has responded, challenging Grad's account of what happened. Still, the controversy remains.
Speaking on SiriusXM's The Luke Thomas Show, Grad opened up about what happened, why he took to social media, the reputation he alleges Northcutt's father has in their local fighting community and why unless Northcutt goes to a 'serious gym', he won't ever reach his full potential.