The “video game” finish impressed longtime UFC fighter Urijah Faber, who, in a phone interview in October, praised her and other young fighters’ creativity in the octagon.

“[Fighters] are getting so high-level and so comfortable. And they’re starting at a very young age so the excitement is just gonna keep getting better,” said the 37-year-old bantamweight, who is fighting Brad Pickett on Saturday in what he’s calling his retirement fight.

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Picking up where Faber left off are young fighters such as VanZant and Northcutt. At ages 22 and 20, respectively, they’re the kinds of fighters that might ensure Hollywood talent agency WME-IMG spent their $4 billion wisely when they bought the mixed martial arts promotion in July.

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VanZant, who is now 7-2, headlines Saturday’s event with a bout against former Invicta Fight Championships atomweight titleholder Michelle Waterson (13-4). The Vegas odds on the two are pretty much even, so there’s no real favorite, although the Sacramento crowd will be overwhelmingly in hometown girl VanZant’s corner.

If the fight stays upright, Waterson, 30, might have the advantage because of her superior striking ability. She lands nearly 74 percent of her strikes compared to VanZant’s 53 percent. But if it goes to the ground or Waterson gives VanZant room for creativity, the latter could earn another win and finally shed the stereotype that she’s “green.”

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In the leadup to this fight, Waterson has called otu VanZant’s relative inexperience multiple times, including on Thursday during the event’s open workouts.

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“Calling her green and all that stuff is just me being honest with myself and staying focused and being comfortable in my own skin and expressing how I feel,” Waterson said (via MMA Fighting). “And it’s true. She is green. I have lots more experience than her.”

VanZant remains unfazed by that descriptor, however, and might even be using it to her advantage. Echoing what her training partner Faber said about her in October, VanZant admitted to being a newcomer.

“Yeah,” she said on a recent episode of UFC on Fox. “I am [green]. But I’ve been able to beat opponents my first day in the gym who have already been belt-holders. I’m breaking records. There’s something special that Sage Northcutt and I have; we’re evolving with the sport because we’re so young.”

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Northcutt, meanwhile, can’t even legally consume alcohol yet. He’ll face another up-can-comer Saturday when he takes on 24-year-old Mickey Gall, whose claim to fame was beating 38-year-old former WWE star CM Punk in the pro wrestler’s UFC debut in September. Like with VanZant-Waterson, Vegas odds are pretty much even between Northcutt and Gall.

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For Northcutt (8-1) to win, he’ll likely want to rely less on his grappling ability and instead on his general athleticism. If the fight goes the distance, it’s hard to imagine the perpetually smiling karate expert running out of energy. But Gall (3-0) might prove a dangerous opponent on the ground thanks to superior jiu-jitsu skills. Gall has won all three of his professional MMA fights, including two in the UFC, via chokehold submissions in the first round.

Gall’s so confident he can win that he’s willing to bet his hair on it.

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“Loser shaves [his head],” the New Jersey native told Ariel Helwani on “The MMA Hour” this week (via MMA Junkie). “I’m confident I’m not going to be the one shaving it.”

Northcutt never responded to the challenge, which Gall took as a sign of a “lack of confidence,” but it could be that the spiky-haired Texan is too busy ripping apples apart. Apparently, that’s his thing.

What’s not his thing? Like VanZant, Northcutt doesn’t really talk trash. Instead, he takes those barbs thrown at him as compliments.

“It’s very nice for people to be calling you out,” he said Thursday after open workouts. “I think sometimes just be careful what you wish for.”