The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) never appealed to me. Why would some of the hardest working, most dedicated and disciplined physical masterpieces voluntarily throw their bodies at one another in the hopes of dominating their opponent? I just didn’t get it. Then a high school friend named Sage Northcutt turned UFC Pro and I started looking at fighting differently.

Fighting is still unappealing to me, but Sage has managed to gather an enthusiastic following of people like me. People who don’t love fighting but like someone who breaks the stereotypes. In an interview with Katy Magazine Sage said, “I know I’m supposed to use the UFC as a vehicle to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.” When’s the last time you heard a pro-fighter say that?

Sage’s quote makes me wonder if spreading one’s religious views is, in part, the purpose of being a national figure. With a worldwide platform, Sage’s words can reach an audience who likely didn’t think of Jesus when they watched UFC. As a fighter chokes out his opponent, I’m not thinking, ‘this is him spreading the gospel,’ but maybe I, and others, can reexamine our preconceptions about who and where inspiration can occur. If the audience is present, is it wrong to use their attention to promote one's personal views?

Maybe Sage is reconnecting identities that society has separated into ‘hardened masculinity’ and ‘religious prosperity'. He shows viewers that a man doesn’t need to be scary to be a fighter; he doesn’t need to hide his religion to have clout; he doesn’t have to always be on fight-mode to be masculine. Instead, Sage possess the unique ability to bring passions and identities together and be the truest version of himself for his fans.

Is that what fans want, though… Are we looking for an athlete who promotes personal views or one who sticks to expectations?