Ultimate Fighting Championship President Dana White hand-picked Sage Northcutt in the middle of his “Lookin’ For A Fight” reality show series on YouTube and knew Sage had what it took to become “Super”. Northcutt impressed so much in his first fight, that his stock increased tenfold overnight and he was quickly signed to an individual sponsorship deal with Reebok.
Northcutt suffered his first loss at Bryan Barberena in January 2016 at “UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Bader” after submitting to an arm-triangle choke. What Northcutt hadn’t revealed going into that fight was that he was battling severe strep-throat, and it’s an illness that he came down with once again while helping Tyron Woodley prepare for “UFC 209” earlier this year.
Northcutt, a Texas resident, wanted nothing more than to throw down at “UFC 211” in Dallas, Texas in May. The fight will not come to fruition, however, as Northcutt has been ruled out as unfit to fight due to the illness. Mark Northcutt, his father, told MMA Fighting:
“His tonsils were damaged from the first (strep throat illness) and had little pits or holes in them that kept harboring bacteria. He was really bummed out and wanted to try and fight anyways but we had to tell him it wasn’t a good idea.”
http://www.mmafighting.com/2017/4/4/15182832/after-multiple-battles-with-strep-throat-sage-northcutt-forced-to-get-tonsils-removed-next-week
