Is the young rising star being spoon fed his opponents?

In a day and age where the UFC is looking for young talent to be stars of the sport it’s not too surprising to see a youth like Sage Northcutt getting a ton of attention. He’s young, he’s skilled and talented, and he looks like a character straight of Dragon Ball Z. Sage Northcutt is going to be a big deal in the UFC, as long as he keeps winning fights. In his first two outings into the octagon the young karate specialist dispatched Francisco Trevino and Cody Pfister with relative ease. He showed power, explosiveness, speed, and submission ability in the two bouts. The thing is, the talent that he was up against wasn’t particularly impressive by any means. Far be it from me to judge a fighters abilities, but Trevino and Pfister were two opponents that were tailor made for a fighter of Northcutt’s skill sets. Both fighters are tough and gritty, utilizing a fair amount of skill and heart to pull out many of their victories. Hell, Pfister gave Northcutt all he could handle in the first round of their bout back in early December. That being said, both men were considerable slower than “Super” Sage and it showed once the young man got their timing down and dismantled them. Starching two grown men, trained and experienced fighters, the way that Northcutt did out a lot of people on notice. But it also left a huge unanswered question. Is the UFC grooming Northcutt by hand picking his opponents? The truth is that it’s not out of the realm of possibility. The young man is certainly talented and at 19 years of age has tons of time ahead of him to blossom into a truly brilliant fighter. That being said, it really does seem that the UFC is more interested in giving the young man showcase fights in order to build his credibility. That statement may sound very dismissive of his opponents but the reality is that each of them, including Northcutt’s next opponent Bryan Barberena, have a glaring flaw in their game when compared to the young upstart: Speed or a lack of it. Sage Northcutt is fast, blindingly fast and his opponents thus far haven’t had the footwork or reflexes to deal with the young karate fighters explosive movements. But perhaps that’s less of a knock on his opponents and a true testament to Northcutt’s abilities. Fighters from a traditional martial arts background have a tendency to have superior footwork than many of the muay thai trained fighters of today. The constant bouncing and cutting angles makes it difficult to track his movements and would catch even the most skilled fighter off guard. That being said, all of Northcutt’s opponents have looked completely incapable to keep up with the young man due to their obvious lack of footwork or game planning. Come Saturday night in New Jersey, Bryan Barberena will have to prove if he’s the man to show that Sage Northcutt is all hype or become just another of the fighters picked to boost the young man’s resume. Do you think Sage Northcutt is being gifted fights by the UFC? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor and geek culture enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter and keep up with his latest exploits.