5 UFC hype trains that have been derailed

#4. Sage Northcutt

Like Paige VanZant, Sage Northcutt was an exciting young prospect whose good looks attracted significant attention. What set the two apart, however, was how credentialed Northcutt was.

A martial artist for as long as he can remember, 'Super Sage' had a storied history in the world of karate, holding a black belt in Shuri-ryū karate and 77 world youth championships before amassing an unbeaten 15-0 record as a kickboxer.

When Northcutt made his promotional debut at UFC 192, he was a 5-0 prospect with all finishes on his record. He quickly dispatched his foe before facing Cody Pfister and defeating him with a guillotine choke to extend his record to 7-0 while maintaining his streak of finishing all of his bouts.

Northcutt earned an unusually high pay of $80,000 for his win over a fighter of little renown at such an early stage in his career.

Talk of 'Super Sage' as a future UFC champion emerged, but they were premature. His next bout brought an end to his unbeaten run as Bryan Barbarena defeated the young prospect with an arm-triangle choke.

While he bounced back with a win over Enrique Marín, he then lost to Mickey Gall, who is currently 7-5. While Northcutt won thrice since the loss, his struggles have always come against tougher competition and the UFC opted against renewing his contract.

Northcutt was last seen in ONE Championship, losing via brutal KO in 29 seconds in his first bout since being released from the UFC. The matchup was with Cosmo Alexandre and occurred in 2019, resulting in Northcutt requiring eight facial surgeries. While he recovered from his injuries, 'Super Sage' is yet to fight again due to COVID complications.

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#3. Ben Askren

Retired MMA fighter Ben Askren is a highly successful athlete. While he never captured UFC gold, he is a former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion. Prior to signing with the UFC, 'Funky' was an undefeated wrestler with a record of 18 wins and 0 losses.

For years, fight fans and pundits longed to see him compete in the UFC, with Askren himself expressing an interest in doing so. Unfortunately, tensions with Dana White, who regarded Askren as boring, prevented the signing.

Still, the interest in Askren potentially fighting in the UFC never dimmed. As an Olympic wrestler, Askren's grappling was lauded by color commentator Joe Rogan, with Jorge Masvidal even claiming that Rogan once described grappling with Askren as being similar to grappling with two people.

Alas, once 'Funky' signed with the UFC, he didn't look nearly as dominant as he had in both Bellator and ONE.

His win over Robbie Lawler was controversial as Askren was bloodied and beaten before snatching Lawler with a bulldog choke that referee Herb Dean mistakenly believed had rendered Lawler unconscious.

Askren's next bout was a record-setting KO loss to rival Jorge Masvidal. While 'Funky' hoped to rebound from his first career loss, he lost his subsequent bout to Demian Maia via rear-naked choke before retiring on a losing streak and never claiming UFC gold.