Back in December, UFC lightweight competitor Sage Northcutt faced off against the C.M. Punk killer Mickey Gall. After knocking Gall to the mat, Northcutt was captured shooting off some words to his opponent. The internet immediately buzzed rumors of what was being said. Could Northcutt have been talking trash mid fight? Northcutt claims that it wasn’t what it appeared.
In a recent addition of The MMA Hour, as transcribed by MMA Fighting, Northcutt explained what was really going on in the moment.
“So when I hit him and knocked him down, I was just telling him — I wasn’t really talking trash, I wouldn’t call it trash talking. I was just talking to him. I was like, ‘come on, get up, get up.’ I was telling him to get up because I wanted to fight standing up. Another one was I hit him, I know I hurt him, so I was just like, ‘that hurt, didn’t it?’ So I was just kind of talking to him.”
Returning to the conversation in the podcast, Northcutt doubled down on his intentions during the match.
“No sir, I wasn’t trash talking,” he said. “I wouldn’t be out there, I would never be out there cussing at people or saying anything like that, so it wasn’t something to regret. Obviously I regret my performance. The two fights I have lost in the UFC, I should have won those fights, if I’d have been the Sage I know I can be. So I just need to work on that, be calm out there, don’t get too excited and amped up to rush in, and I should be getting better.”
Northcutt faced Gall at UFC on Fox 22, but would go on to lose in the second round by way of rear-naked choke.
