UFC Fight Night 80 – Actions will always trump ambitions

Northcutt’s first fight in the UFC came back in October at UFC 192 where in just 57 seconds he picked up a TKO win over UFC veteran Francisco Trevino.

If you are fortunate enough to have Fight Pass then your UFC marathon starts early, Thursday night at 7pm EST live from The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas. Of course Namajunas eventually caught her in a choke in the fifth round to end the fight, but she had VanZant caught in several different submissions prior to that, including a very deep rear-naked choke and a nasty armbar, and “12 Gauge” survived them all. “I want to pet my dog”.

“I feel great, I had a great night”, Namajunas said.

Chiesa is 4-2 in the UFC since winning The Ultimate Fighter 15. 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.

Northcutt, the fast-rising 155-pound prospect with formidable athleticism, finished Cody Pfister with a guillotine choke 41 seconds into the second round.

VanZant, 21, had been the poster girl of the strawweight division and victory in Las Vegas would have propelled her closer to a title shot.

After spending the first half of the opening round on his back, the fight was stood up and Northcutt went on the offensive, closing out the frame in top position and putting it on Pfister. Her only loss in the UFC came to Carla Esparza in the inaugural UFC strawweight title fight. He controlled the action on the mat and when Miller attacked a kneebar, the Spokane native defended, moved to mount and locked up a rear naked choke. Fighter Tim Means described it best by saying the event was “the fuse to the dynamite”.

“I think the referee’s smart with how he does it. I had [Pfister’s] hands trapped at the time so he was having a hard time trying to do anything”.

Northcutt won White over quickly after the UFC boss saw him stop Gage Duhon in the first round of a June Legacy Fighting Championship card in Lake Charles, La.

“I would never use any banned substances”, Northcutt said (again to Bloody Elbow).

“I’m ready to get back in the gym as soon as possible”, VanZant said.