Sage Northcutt beats Cory Pfister at UFC Fight Night 80 in Las Vegas as hype surrounding 19-year-old prospect continues to grow

It will take more than Cory Pfister to wipe the grin from Sage Northcutt's face.

The 19-year-old darling of the UFC ensured the hype surrounding him will continue to grow into the new year with his second victory for the promotion.

Northcutt, whose model good looks and effervescent personality have made him a hit with some and drawn ire from others, overcame an early takedown to secure a guillotine finish in the second round.

Sage Northcutt smiles as he celebrates his relatively straightforward win over Cody Pfister in their lightweight during UFC Fight Night 80

Northcutt ensured the hype surrounding him will continue to grow with his second victory for the promotion

Northcutt kicks Pfister in their lightweight bout during the UFC Fight Night 80 event in Las Vegas on Thursday night

'The Octagon was smaller than I expected, so it took some time for me to get used to it and find my spacing,' he said.

'I tried to be patient and wait for the submission to come to me.

'I never really had a game plan other than to finish my opponent as quickly as possible.

'Tonight it came in the second round and I'm very happy to come out on top.

'I'm looking forward to my next fight and I hope it comes in the next couple of months.'

Northcutt was scouted by UFC president Dana White on his television show Looking For A Fight and was thrust into the limelight at UFC 192 in October.

There was no sign of stage fright however as he stopped Francisco Trevino after just 57 seconds of the first round, the fourth-fastest debut in the division's history.

Northcutt then spent a week training in Montreal with Georges St-Pierre at his Tristar gym but had to return to Texas to continue his studies in petroleum engineering.

In contrast, Pfister entered the Octagon with 17 professional fights to his name, but only two in the UFC. The American had attempted to unsettle his young compatriot, labelling him White's 'lapdog' and accusing him of taking steroids.

And it was Pfister who darted from his corner as the fight got under way, successfully completing the takedown.

But with the underdog struggling to get control, the pair were stood up with a little under two minutes of the round remaining.

This time it was Northcutt who immediately executed the takedown and after landing an elbow, attempted to engineer himself into position for the triangle choke but Pfister kept him at bay.

The teenager needed just 41 seconds of the middle session to finish the job, however.

Northcutt slipped Pfister's first attack of the round, completed the takedown and forced the tap with a guillotine choke. 

Northcutt has quickly became known as the 19-year-old darling of the UFC after taking to the sport impressively

Northcutt was scouted by UFC chief Dana White on his television show - Looking For A Fight - and thrust into the limelight at UFC 192

Northcutt pictured taking down Pfister in their lightweight bout during the UFC Fight Night event in Las Vegas on Thursday night

Northcutt won by submission over Pfister in their lightweight bout in Las Vegas to ensure the hype surrounding him continued to grow

Northcutt's model good looks and effervescent personality have made him a hit with some but disliked by others

Earlier, Londoner Danny Roberts made an impressive start to his UFC career, locking in the triangle to submit Nathan Coy in the first round.

Roberts, who trains with the BlackZilians in Florida, said: 'I would have liked a little more time to relax in there. My strikes have become much more dynamic since I moved to Florida.

'I wanted to show everyone what I've got but I got the finish and got the job done. We'd been working on scrambles and the plan was to get back to my feet but I could see him leaving his arms out and I took advantage and squeezed tight.

'I'll be very dangerous to whoever I face in the Octagon. I'm very happy with the win and I'm ready to go back to work with my tremendous team en route to the next challenge.' 

Rising bantamweight star Aljamain Sterling meanwhile made it a dozen professional fights unbeaten with a second-round submission victory over Johnny Eduardo.

'I felt great,' he said. 'I took my time, he has really hard leg kicks, really hard body kits. I've got the best team in the world. What can I say, we bust our ass every day.

'You leave your neck up there, I'm a freaking viper baby! The belt is the goal and I'll keep fighting to get there every time I step into the Octagon or on to the training mat.'

Danny Roberts (right) made an impressive start to his UFC career by beating Nathan Coy in the first round with a powerful display

Londoner Roberts pictured celebrating his welterweight win over Coy, who is attended to inside the Octagon

Aljamain Sterling (right) hypes up the crowd from inside the octagon during his UFC bantamweight bout against Johnny Eduardo

Sterling celebrates his win over Eduardo in their bantamweight bout during the UFC Fight Night 80 event