If a few years from now, Sage Northcutt is a perennial fixture in the upper echelon of the UFC lightweight division, there's a good chance he may look back on Saturday night as one of the early turning points of his young career.
The 19-year-old Northcutt suffered his first career loss at UFC on FOX 18, tapping to a second-round arm-triangle at the hands of MMA Lab product Bryan Barberena. And among the many things the experience taught Northcutt, it is that the fight game can be a fickle place for those only dipping their toes in the water.