After starting his UFC career at age 19, Sage Northcutt remains one of the promotion’s most intriguing and marketable prospects.

Now 21, Northcutt is on the main card of the UFC’s Fight Night card in Austin, Texas, this weekend when he faces fellow lightweight Thibault Gouti, who is 1-3 in the UFC but coming off a win over Andrew Holbrook.

Boasting a 4-2 record (4-0 at lightweight, 0-2 welterweight), Northcutt continues to grow as a mixed martial artist and, as of late, that growth can be attributed to his move to Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, Calif., and its focus on all forms of grappling.

“You have such good training partners; everybody there is incredible. You have Cody Garbrandt, who is incredible, you have Chad Mendes, you have Urijah Faber,” Northcutt told The TSN MMA Show . “The list goes on and on with all of the great wrestlers.”

Hailing from Katy, Texas, about 50 kilometres outside of Houston, Northcutt has embraced his move to California’s state capital.

“Houston is super cool and Katy is super cool and so is Sacramento. What’s neat about Sacramento is that you can drive, which I’ve done with the team a bunch of times, is drive like an hour or an hour and a half and you’re in Lake Tahoe and you can go out to the lake or go up in the mountains or go off-road driving or hiking,” said Northcutt.

Northcutt’s positive energy and cordial nature are part of his infectious personality. He refers to media members as “sir” or “ma’am” when they interview him and refers to his coach as “Mr. Faber.” He uses that positivity as part of his approach to fighting.

“I always stay positive if I can, I always stay upbeat and always have a ton of energy. I don’t really see there being a switch that goes off when I go into the octagon,” said Northcutt. “Because for me there’s no switch, it’s always on. If you need to go out and fight right now or five minutes from now, you’re ready.”

His attitude is part of his persona outside of the octagon and Northcutt feels like the excitement that he provides inside the octagon is what has made him more marketable.

“I believe the UFC knows what they’re watching and looking for, so I always try and put on a great show for everybody watching and try to go out there and finish my opponent and do something exciting,” said Northcutt. “I believe a lot of people come out to watch me and see me perform.”

Some of the more experienced fighters on the roster have complained that Northcutt, who is younger and less experienced than many other fighters, makes more money per fight. Northcutt remains positive when addressing that notion.

“It’s not really my place to give advice to any of them; these people have been around for a long time and fighting for the UFC for a long time also,” said Northcutt. “I just try to go out there and perform my best, as I always do, and put on a great show and I believe that the UFC can see that people come in to watch me and the numbers of people and they look at that as part of their business.”

UFC Fight Night: Cerrone vs. Medeiros in Austin, Texas, airs this Sunday at 9 pm ET on TSN2.