5 Predictions For UFC On Fox 18: Johnson Vs. Bader

4. Sage Northcutt vs. Bryan Barberena

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bklcDXRwYfI Weight Class: Welterweight Just a week out from rising star Sage Northcutt's third UFC fight, his originally scheduled opponent, Andrew Holbrook, was forced to pull out to injury. That resulted in a bit of an event shakeup, with Bryan Barberena moving to the card to face Northcutt - at welterweight, likely due to him being unable to cut the additional 15 pounds to lightweight with such short notice. Barberena had been scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 82, but Nathan Coy will fill in. Northcutt (7-0) has won both his UFC bouts thus far, and at just 19 years old, the recent signing has the world in front of him. He's a stellar athlete who thus far has said all the right things, and the UFC is no doubt hoping he'll turn into a main event fighter some day. In fact, he's coming off a co-main event outing, and opens the main portion of the card on Fox, which will get him a ton of exposure and help to further his fame with casual UFC fans, who may just be hearing of the promotion's youngest fighter. Barberena (10-3), meanwhile, is coming off a decision loss to TUF: Nations winner Chad Laprise, but he's no can. In his UFC debut, he topped Joe Ellenberger (twin brother of Jake), and was on basically a five year win streak prior to the Laprise loss. He's a lefty with knockout power, and a big lightweight who will be right at home at welterweight. Who wins this? A lot will depend on how Northcutt handles the higher weight class, but it's hard to argue against him. However, this may be the first Northcutt fight in the UFC to go the distance. Sage by decision.