"I believe, looking back at my last fight, that was a fluke deal," Northcutt said Monday on The MMA Hour. "If I wasn't sick, I believe I would've finished off my opponent very quickly. That's what I go out there and do all the time, is finish off my opponents. I had four knockouts and three submissions, so that's what I'm looking to do for this fight and I'm just excited."
Northcutt is currently scheduled to face The Ultimate Fighter Latin America 2 runner-up Enrique Marin on July 9 at UFC 200's blockbuster pay-per-view. Northcutt and Marin open up the FOX Sports 1 portion of the card, which for Northcutt will be a new experience, considering that he and Barberena fought on FOX back in January.
Barberena has flourished since that short-notice meeting, picking up a big win over another heavily hyped prospect in Warlley Alves at UFC 198. The back-to-back upsets earned Barberena a well-deserved reputation as a prospect killer, but Northcutt said he isn't bothered by seeing Barberena's success.
"Like I said, it was a fluke deal in my last fight," Northcutt said. "I know how that looks, I wasn't my normal self. I'm very explosive, and to go out there, you saw me trip over my own feet and have to fall on the ground. I had to throw that kick after falling, so that wasn't something that I would do. That wasn't being my normal self. I didn't have my normal speed, my normal explosiveness, none of that, and I believe that the people watching can see that.
"So, if I was my normal self, it would've been a different story," he added.
LINK: Sage Northcutt says loss to Bryan Barberena was a ‘fluke,’ would’ve won ‘very quickly’ if healthy
