Funny what an appearance on the “Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” show can do. For Sage Northcutt, it was the springboard to the UFC and a FOX-televised main card fight this Saturday in New Jersey.
Joining “Super Sage” on the card is the second fighter to be discovered on the show, but Randy Brown – who faces Matt Dwyer on UFC FIGHT PASS at Prudential Center – isn’t overwhelmed by his instant celebrity status.
“I wouldn’t say instant celebrity,” Brown laughs. “It’s still pretty normal, which is cool. It’s nothing new. I’m just putting in the work, getting ready to go to war.”
The unbeaten welterweight may call it war, but so far, he’s been steamrolling the competition, winning all six of his pro fights by knockout or submission and garnering plenty of positive notices on the east coast MMA scene. Add in that each of those victories took place in the Ring of Combat promotion that launched the careers of several UFC stars, and it was evident that eventually, the Jamaica-born Brown was going to be getting that call.
“Honestly, when I went pro, I had a whole game plan set up,” he said. “And I figured my boy (UFC welterweight) Ryan LaFlare, he went to the UFC after only seven fights and that was the goal – to go there after five or six fights. I think that was enough.”
Bold. But he was right. He did have a little help from the boss though, as White was at his November 20 fight against Robert Plotkin in New Jersey, and after Brown ended his opponent’s night with a knee in the first round, he made sure he got the attention of the UFC President.
“I knew he was going to be there,” Brown said. “I didn’t give it too much thought though and it didn’t really change anything. I was just there to fight and do what I do. I was there to win. After the fight though, I looked around for him and saw him and told him that I’m the one you’re looking for.”
Soon, Brown was signed to a contract and put in a fight against tough Canadian Dwyer. This is no easy out for the Queens product, but at the moment, he’s showing a remarkable cool under pressure.
“I guess it’s just a mindset,” he said. “This is something I’ve been preparing for, for a long time, physically and mentally. I just think I was born to do this, and it’s been on my mind. As far as being mentally prepared, you either have that mindset or you don’t. And I can’t wait.”
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Call it being 25 years old and fearless, or maybe more accurately you can attribute this confidence and toughness to his life in the Big Apple, where being in the thick of chaos is an almost daily occurrence.
“That fast life, I deal with it every day,” he said. “I train in the city sometimes, I’m all over, traveling up and down and dealing with people and meeting new people. So none of this is new. I guess it helps a little bit.”
So far, Brown may have had tougher days on the subway during rush hour in NYC than he has in his fights, but beyond that New York cool is a work ethic that he truly believes is the catalyst for his success.
“It comes from preparation, it comes from growing up the way I’ve grown up,” he said. “And I was thrown in tough fights. It my second fight, I fought for the Ring of Combat title against a guy with four times as many fights as me. So pressure doesn’t bother me. I perform well under pressure and I like guys that bring it.”
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Dwyer will bring it. So will Brown. What happens next may be something special.
“Just expect me to make it look pretty,” Brown said. “Expect me to touch and go. It can end fast and it can end anywhere, so just look out for that. It’s gonna be spectacular.”
