UFC on Fox 22: Sage Northcutt vs. Mickey Gall Odds and Prediction

Mickey Gall gets his wish, once again.

After getting the CM Punk fight, promotional newcomer Mickey Gall gets rewarded after a rousing victory with another wish granted. This time around, Gall got a positive reply for his demand to fight fellow newcomer Sage Northcutt. The two young prospects will battle it out in a three round welterweight bout set for UFC on Fox 22 on December 17th at the Golden1 Center in Sacramento, California.

Hype Stopper

We all know Mickey Gall as the man who halted the CM Punk hype train the UFC was building up for the last two years. Gall walked away unscathed after stopping Punk in less than one round at UFC 203. Following the victory, Gall immediately called out another ‘hype train’ in Sage Northcutt.

After a back and forth war of words, the UFC made the bout official. Now both prospects will fight in a bout that will separate the men from the boys. For Gall, it will be another opportunity to halt another high profile opponent and earn the right to be called the UFC’s hype stopper.

Super Sage

The UFC has been trying desperately to build-up the young, super athletic and good looking Northcutt. The only 20-year old Super Sage compiled an unbeaten 5-0 record at the Legacy FC promotion before moving over to the UFC in 2015. Northcutt earned some raves after two stoppage victories in his first two UFC bouts. But he suffered a rude awakening when he was submitted by little known Bryan Barbarena during his welterweight debut at UFC on Fox 18. He bounced back with an unimpressive win over Enrique Marin at UFC 200.

No Pushover

Bein the ‘bigger’ name, Northcutt is a -170 favorite over Gall who is at +140. Like Northcutt, Mickey Gall may be a newcomer in the UFC but he is no slouch. Gall is a very active fighter who has an excellent ground game. He’s fought only thrice as a mixer martial artist, two in the UFC, and has won all three bouts by rear naked choke submission. Aside from his noticeable ground game, we don’t know what else Mickey Gall has or how he does in a stand-up battle.

Northcutt will have the clear advantage on his feet. His unorthodox striking and range is not a mystery. If he keeps the fight up, he’s got a solid chance of winning. Unfortunately, his takedown defense of 46% is bad against a guy with a solid ground game like Gall. Gall is a legit BJJ brown belt and will likely take the fight to the ground, as he always does. If Gall doesn’t submit Northcutt early, he’ll tire him to the finish as Northcutt is notorious for a short gas tank. Mickey Gall by submission here.