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Tag: ion cutelaba

  • “Most Improved Fighter’s Arc” – Ion Cutelaba Submits Oumar Sy

    “Most Improved Fighter’s Arc” – Ion Cutelaba Submits Oumar Sy

    For the second time in three fights, and the second time overall in his MMA career, Oumar Sy tastes defeat. This time, it comes courtesy of Ion Cutelaba at UFC Vegas 114.

    Cutelaba looked to press the pace early with a kick-based attack before clinching up Sy. Cutelaba scored a takedown, but Sy battled back and landed a slam, nearly locking up a leg lock.

    Cutelaba was able to gain top control back, and when Sy looked to regain control with another takedown, Cutelaba locked him up in a guillotine. Cutelaba secured a guillotine from mount, making Sy quickly tap out in the process.

    Ion Cutelaba Submits Oumar Sy At UFC Vegas 114

    Cutelaba is now 4-2 in his last six fights. He came into this fight off a controversial split decision loss to Modestas Bukauskas at UFC 315.

    Sy now falls to 12-2. He came into this fight off a win over Brendson Ribeiro, which was a rebound after his first pro loss against Alonzo Menifield. Sy also has wins over Tuco Tokkos and Da Woon Jung in the Octagon.

  • ‘Worst Robbery In UFC History’ – Fans In Uproar After Baffling Judges’ Split Scorecard In Controversial Modestas Bukauskas Victory Over Ion Cutelaba

    ‘Worst Robbery In UFC History’ – Fans In Uproar After Baffling Judges’ Split Scorecard In Controversial Modestas Bukauskas Victory Over Ion Cutelaba

    The only way to make a fight with a disappointing amount of activity worse is with baffling judges’ scorecards. And it appears that’s what we got with the judges’ totals in the victory Modestas Bukauskas got over Ion Cutelaba during the preliminary card of UFC 315.

    Cutelaba took control of the fight early with heavy calf kicks, targeting the lead leg of Bukauskas. Though Bukauskas had his moments, Cutelaba controlled the action by delivering more pressure and striking. Cutelaba continued this in round two with several flurries and clinch work, even if some attacks caused him to lose balance. Bukauskas responded with some counters, but his activity came into question.

    Bukauskas had better moments in the third round, stuffing takedowns and landing the more effective shots, as Cutelaba seemed to tire. Bukauskas in particular found success with the right hand.

    Bafflingly, one judge each gave the fight to each fighter with 30-27 scores. Even more baffling, the third judge gave the nod to Bukauskas despite the lack of activity.

    Modestas Bukauskas Bests Ion Cutelaba In Fight With Split 30-27 Scores At UFC 315

    https://twitter.com/ProchazkaSzn/status/1921370722930233477

    Bukauskas has now scored victories in seven of his last eight. He’s now 5-1 in the Octagon since his UFC return in 2023.

    Cutelaba falls to 3-2 in his last five fights.

  • UFC Matchmaking Bulletin: New Fights For Rosas Jr., Cutelaba, And More

    MMA News has you covered with this week’s UFC matchmaking bulletin, featuring all the additions to upcoming fight cards.

    With events being held most weekends, Mick Maynard and Sean Shelby have their matchmaking work cut out if they’re to fill them, meaning new bouts are confirmed each and every week.

    Between Monday, March 3, and Sunday, March 9, a small number of fights were made official by the UFC or reported as being in the works by reputable sources.

    For those matchups, check out the list below:

  • Watch ‘The Hulk’ Ion Cuțelaba Light Up UFC Seattle With +2000 Finish

    Watch ‘The Hulk’ Ion Cuțelaba Light Up UFC Seattle With +2000 Finish

    For the first time in his UFC tenure, Ion Cuțelaba has scored a submission, defeating Ibo Aslan in the featured preliminary bout at UFC Seattle.

    Cuțelaba and Aslan got right into things early, swinging away and trading hard blows throughout the fight’s opening minute. Though each landed hard on one another, the Moldovan changed strategy and looked to bring the fight to the ground.

    This plan proved successful, as “The Hulk” was able to lock up an arm-triangle and score a tap in just under three minutes.

    Ion Cuțelaba Scores Submission Win In Under Three Minutes At UFC Seattle

    A victory via submission for Cuțelaba was unexpected, as his last one came against Vitali Ontishchenko in April 2015 — two fights prior to his UFC debut.

    The Moldovan standout winning via submission came in at +1100. A first-round submission win for “The Hulk,” in fact, had odds of +2000.

    Cuțelaba has now won three of his last four, bouncing back from a three-fight losing skid he suffered in 2022.

    Aslan, meanwhile, suffers the second loss of his professional career. He earned a UFC contract through a win over Paulo Renato Jr. on Dana White’s Contender Series and scored finishes of Anton Turkalj and Raffael Cerqueira prior to tonight’s loss.

  • Ion Cutelaba vs. Ryan Spann In The Works For February 26 Event

    Ranked light heavyweights Ion Cutelaba and Ryan Spann are expected to meet at UFC’s February 26th event.

    MMA Island is reporting that a booking between Cutelaba and Spann is currently in the process of being finalized. Should it be made official, it would join a “Fight Night” card that doesn’t have a confirmed location currently.

    Cutelaba and Spann are currently on the edge of the UFC’s 205-pound rankings. Cutelaba has the chance to hop up a few spots with a win, as he currently sits 15th while Spann is placed in 13th.

    Spann Coming Off Main Event Loss

    Anthony Smith, Ryan Spann

    Spann lost a high-profile bout last time around, getting submitted by Anthony Smith in September. His loss to the former title challenger was set for five rounds but only went into the fourth minute. Smith was able to finish the bout with ground and pound strikes.

    The fight was only Spann’s second loss since joining the UFC roster in 2018. It was also his debut appearance in the main event slot of a UFC card.

    He had picked up a statement win earlier in 2021, putting away Misha Cirkunov within one round.

    Cutelaba Riding Momentum Of Win

    Ion Cutelaba vs. Khalil Rountree Jr.
    Photo Credit: UFC

    Cutelaba scored his first victory in nearly two years recently, going the distance against Devin Clark for a decision win. This came after a bumpy stretch that saw him lose two bouts to Magomed Ankalaev and take a draw against Dustin Jacoby.

    Not only did Cutelaba go winless between 2020 and most of 2021, but he also had five different bookings scrapped in that time. The victory last time around put Cutelaba back onto the right track and evened his UFC record at five wins and losses each.

    Who do you see winning in a fight between Ion Cutelaba and Ryan Spann?