Sage Northcutts nästa motståndare, Bryan Barbarena anser att Northcutt fått en specialbehandling av UFC.
Sage Northcutt skulle ursprungligen möta Andrew Holbrook. En skada ställde in mötet och Northcutt kommer nu möta Bryan Barbarena i en welterviktsmatch. I en intervju berättar Barbarena om vad han tänkte när han blev erbjuden matchen:
”I was actually sleeping, I had a long day of training and I was pretty tired and went to bed early. Got the call from my manager, and he offered me the fight. I said, ’are you sure it’s at 70 and not 55?’, and he’s like, ’it’s at 70.’ I was like, ’okay, I’ll take it.’ So I called my coach, and they said it’s a great opportunity and we talked about it. It’s a great opportunity and a great matchup so we went ahead and went with it.”
Barbarena har inget emot sin motståndare men anser att Northcutt fått en specialbehandling av UFC och att han kan besegras:
”As a person, I don’t know him, we just see what we see on TV,” he said. ”Skill-wise, he has skills, he’s trained traditional martial arts for his whole life. He seems to be getting better. I don’t even think it’s him — it’s partially him I guess, but I think it’s unfair how things have played out, and how he’s up on a pedestal and getting special treatment. It is what it is, it’s his road, I have nothing really against him.”
”That’s a ton for a guy who’s 2-0 and just getting into the UFC. I’ll take that money, give me his money. Why don’t I have that money?”
”He has the hype around him that puts him up a little higher, people think of him greatly. But everyone has their holes, everyone has their openings, so I’m excited to take advantage of that.”
