Northcutt will return to welterweight vs. Ottow

Veteran fighter Zak Ottow is ready and willing to welcome Sage Northcutt back to the welterweight division.

Ottow, 16-5 and 3-2 in the UFC, confirmed Thursday that he will square off with Northcutt at UFC Fight Night 133 in Boise, Idaho on July 14.

You read it here first #Repost @thebodylock (@get_repost) ・・・ Zak Ottow (@zakottow) will meet Sage Northcutt in a welterweight matchup on July 14 at UFC Fight Night 133 in Boise, Idaho.⠀ ⠀ Anthony Crozzoli from @thebodylock recently spoke with Ottow as he prepares for Northcutt.⠀ ⠀ Ottow is coming off a turning-point win over MMA veteran and newly retired Mike Pyle. Ottow’s win came by the first-round stoppage, as he himself predicted, after stating pre-fight that he wanted to get back to his finishing ways. With a signature win in his fifth UFC bout, Ottow put an end to the split decision streak that had followed him recently.⠀ ⠀ “Having a loss in the previous fight in China, and alternating between wins, I felt like I was in a must-win situation,” Ottow told The Body Lock.⠀ ⠀ This emphatic win has set Zak Ottow up for a prime opportunity against the much-hyped, “Super” Sage Northcutt at UFC Fight Night 133. Sage is returning to the welterweight division despite his struggles at the weight class. Northcutt has recently collected back some of his earlier shine with back-to-back wins in the lightweight division against Michel Quinones and Thibault Gouti respectively. After the fight, Northcutt stressed his interest in returning to the 170 lbs division. When he comes back to welterweight, he will face off with Ottow, a man who has competed at heavier weights pre-UFC and will hold a clear size and power advantage over him.⠀ ⠀ “I’m pumped for this match-up, I didn’t think this was even on the radar for me,” Ottow shared.⠀ ⠀ Northcutt has been using the off-time to bulk and acclimatize to 170 lbs. He has been posting the results on social media and Ottow believes that Sage’s physique won’t make much a difference.⠀ ⠀ “I promise you I’m the strongest person he’s ever felt in a real fight, times ten. So all the lifting he can do is just going to make him slower, add more muscle that’s going to tire him out more, I’m not too worried about how big and strong he looks, I know that as soon as I get my hands on him, I’ll completely rag doll him.”⠀ ⠀ [Read more on The Body Lock]⠀ ⠀ #UFC #MMA #ZakOttow #SageNorthcutt #mixedmartialarts #mmanews #ufcnews #martialarts

A post shared by Zak Ottow (@zakottow) on May 10, 2018 at 7:56am PDT

Northcutt lost twice in 2016 in the 170-pound welterweight division. He rebounded by moving to lightweight and won his last two fights - against Michel Quinones in November and Thibault Gouti in February - via unanimous decision. However, following a grueling weight cut for his most recent fight, he said he planned to move back up.

Ottow last fought in March, defeating Mike Pyle by first-round TKO.

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Northcutt will return to welterweight vs. Ottow

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