Lightweight prospect Sage Northcutt (9-2, 4 KOs, 3 SUBs) will meet France’s Thibault Gouti (12-3, 4 KOs, 6 SUBs) at UFC Fight Night 126 on Saturday, February 18, 2018 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The card airs live on FS1 starting 9 p.m. ET. Bet on the latest UFC odds at BookMaker.eu, and get the latest previews, predictions and picks now.
Maybe “Super” Sage Northcutt never reaches the insane bar the UFC set for him when he debuted as a 19-year old karate legend. But maybe, just maybe, he’ll become the phenom that many people envisioned. This Saturday, Northcutt will take a small step up in competition when he meets France’s Thibault Gouti on the main card of UFC Fight Night 126.
At 21 years old, Northcutt has plenty of time to carve out a respectful career. But he can’t keep alternating wins and losses like he has in his past four fights. Coming off a win over Michel Quinones, Northcutt has to beat Gouti to establish the momentum to live up to his hype.
So who you got in this fight? And more importantly, what are the bets you should be making to make sure you get a nice payout on fight night? Let’s take a look at the UFC odds at BookMaker.eu, break down the matchup and go over your best betting options.
UFC Odds at BookMaker.eu
Sage Northcutt
Thibault Gouti
Over/under rounds, over , under
Matchup Breakdown
Even if you’re a Sage hater, you can’t deny that he’s a special athlete. The word “explosive” tends to get tossed around a lot, but there’s no better word to describe the youngster’s physical abilities. Extraordinarily fast, powerful and flexible, Northcutt’s speed alone was too much for his first few UFC opponents.
By now, we’re all familiar with Sage’s style. One of the most decorated karatekas ever to enter the UFC, Northcutt is a terror in open space. He punctuates a dynamic kicking gang with lightning fast punches, and the quickness in which he feints and moves around the ring is mesmerizing. Of course, his ground game has been exposed by better grapplers, but his athleticism lets him explode out of bad positions if need be.
Gouti isn’t likely to test Sage’s mat skills too much, as he prefers to box. Of course, choosing to stand against Northcutt is the most difficult path to victory, but Gouti has the toughness to make this a battle of attrition. If it gets into a trench battle, Sage has a tendency to wilt, but Gouti has to make him suffer to get it there.
UFC Betting Tips
Dana White is pumping the brakes hard with Northcutt’s rise through the ranks. Gouti is exactly the type of matchup that can help build the kid’s confidence, as Gouti’s preference to strike and limited takedown ability really plays into a comfortable matchup.
Northcutt and and Gouti both land close to 4 strikes per minute, but Sage’s 53% accuracy outshines Gouti’s 43%. There’s also the fact that Northcutt only absorbs 2.18 strikes per minute while Gouti gets hit nearly 5 times per minute. The most glaring weakness in the stats is that Gouti has yet to land a takedown in the UFC, which bodes well for Northcutt.
UFC Odds Pick: Northcutt to win at
The safe option is to take Northcutt to win, and if you feel the line is too expensive use it as a parlay booster. Betting on the kid still feels risky since he’s been so inconsistent, but this is a style matchup that will boost his confidence. If Gouti was a better grappler, we’d like his odds but he won’t be able to force an upset.
UFC Odds Pick: Northcutt inside the distance
It’s more a gut call than anything, but this feels like a fight where Gouti might be overwhelmed by a blitz.
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UFC Fight Night 126 takes place on Saturday, February 18, 2018 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas. The card airs live on FS1 starting 9 p.m. ET.
