Colbey Northcutt, the older sister of UFC fighter Sage Northcutt, will make her professional MMA debut on June 23 rd for Legacy Fighting Alliance.
Her bout will be part of the televised portion of LFA 14: Allen vs Anders card broadcast live on AXS TV.
10 QUESTIONS WITH COLBEY NORTHCUTT:
When was the moment that you realized that you were really good at this and can make a run at being a professional fighter?
I’ve competed in Karate and Martial Arts my entire life. I was seven when I started Karate, Sage was four. So growing up and doing tournaments literally every other weekend. It is hundreds and hundreds of tournaments and in an tournament, you will fight in three or four different divisions, have a dozen fights. You know that’s a lot of experience. So all throughout high school, I was winning almost every single tournament there was and I loved it, but there were no women in the UFC yet. It was kind of to the point to where there were talks about it, but I didn’t know where I wanted to go from there. If I should go to college and pursue journalism like I wanted to or not go to college and pursue MMA. So I took a few years off after high school. That is actually is when I decided I wanted to do this. Trained for a few years, had some amateur fights with Legacy and U of MMA out here in California. Then I decided I wanted to take a little bit of a break, go back to college, and that’s when my brother (Sage) got into the UFC and everything just changed. That gave me the itch to want to come back. I finished school in December and here I am getting ready for my pro debut.
Was there a sibling rivalry between you and Sage growing up?
Absolutely, because we grew up training together. He was always my number one training partner. We grew up in a traditional martial arts school. We started off in a real Karate school. Your generic, basic Karate school, but my dad is actually a black belt in Aikido and so he transitioned into training me and my brother full-time and being our instructor as well. Yes, there was a rivalry, but we pushed each other more instead. The rivalry was good. Obviously, we competed in our own separate divisions and didn’t compete against each other, but we did train with each other full-time, sparring everything. I was always beating him up until he passed me and then yeah, he can take it to me *laughs*. There was always a rivalry, but I think it was good, because it made him better and it made me better.
Did you ever expect Sage to get as big as he is?
You know, I have always known. It’s funny, when he was 9-years-old, he was on the cover the Sport Karate magazine and it was absolutely crazy, because when he was that young, he told the interviewer in the whole bio that they did about him, “I’m going to be in the UFC one day.” He’s known since he was that little, that he was going to do that, so I had no doubt in my mind that was going to happen. Then at 19-years-old and getting into the UFC and it just happened so fast. He wasn’t even a pro for a year yet before he got in the UFC, so that was crazy fast, but it wasn’t surprising to me at all.
Have you ever seen Sage not break a smile?
You know what? No. He really is always happy and it’s contagious, because it’s impossible to be in a bad mood or upset at anything around him. There is always something good out of everything when you think something is going wrong. He’s always Mr. Positive that can pull the good out of it. He’s a very positive person to be around and everyone wants to be around him all the time, because of that.
You’re a Communications Major in College, you mentioned that you’ve always been interested in Journalism. Who is someone that you look up to in the media field?
I always wanted to be a news anchor or work somewhere out on the field whether it’s football or any kind of sports related thing. In particular, I love Megan Olivi and what she does with fighters in the UFC. I love how she knows all the fighters, gets up close and personal, does everything with them. If I could get in the UFC, get some fights, and then transition when I’m done fighting and step back. Maybe work for FOX Sports with Karyn Bryant or Megan Olivi up close and personal with them as well. I would love that. Those two ladies right there are great.
You are from Texas originally, but now live in southern California. How has the adjustment been?
I love it. First of all, the weather is so much better. The weather here is gorgeous. It’s always sunny and it’s dry. I love to be outside now. That’s my favorite thing. In Houston, it was always hot, but the humidity is terrible. The adjustment has been great. I knew that when I finished school in December, that I was going to train and take this thing seriously and figured here (southern California) would be the best shot for me to do really do this if I was going to do it.
You now train with Tyler Wombles at Classic Fight Team. How have you gelled with the team?
It’s awesome. Everybody is so welcoming and so nice. They are all great training partners and Tyler is wonderful himself. He’s the best person I have worked with to be honest. Raymond Daniels is one of his top students and he has an intense Karate background like myself, so Tyler has kind of adapted the way he teaches for Karate people and knows how to work with someone like me with a Karate background. I have never really experienced that with somebody else before. Traditional Muay Thai guys, I feel they always try to make you into a Muay Thai fighter or kind of try to shape you into someone else, but he’s taken my Karate and is working around it and making me use it to the best of my ability, which is wonderful so I love it. It’s great.
Who are some of your training partners that have been helping you get ready for this fight?
Ashlee Evans-Smith, Joe Murphy, Raymond Daniels. There are a lot of smaller guys too, but Ashlee is a great one. It’s awesome to have another female that is at my weight, that is actually in the UFC, that you can train beside and work with. I feel like we are pretty much opposites, because she has that intense wrestling background, collegiate wrestler and all that. Then I’ve got the Karate, stand-up. So we’ve been able to help each other, which is awesome. We have only trained with each other a few times, because she’s been injured, but she’s getting back into it now so I’m excited to be able to help her if she needs it or just be a sparring partner. I’d love to get more work in with her. She’s super cool.
What are your thoughts on your opponent Courtney King, who will also be making her pro debut at LFA 14?
Obviously, I’m not the most experienced when it comes to MMA fights. I’ve only had a few, 5-6. I feel like from what I gather online, she has had about nine amateur fights. I believe she’s 6-3. She’s a tall striker just like myself. It’s actually a pretty good match-up, because I love to stand-up and she looks like she likes to stand-up too, so I think it will be very entertaining for everyone to watch.
How do you feel about making your pro debut for LFA on AXS TV? Is there any pressure?
Absolutely. I feel like there’s always pressure in any fight that you have. I love everyone in Legacy and now LFA. I have a great relationship with them. They have just treated me and Sage wonderfully. Maybe I got this shot, because I have fought with them as an amateur so many times in that same Houston Arena Theatre. I had their amateur belt at 135 so I figured I’m maybe assuming that would be it. I know there’s tons of other talented people on the card that could be on the TV slot, but I’m very grateful they put me on there for my pro debut.
