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According to ESPN, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has booked an immediate rematch between Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev for the upcoming UFC 249 pay-per-view (PPV) event, set to go down on April 18, 2020 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The duo’s first meeting — which went down at UFC Fight Night 169 last Sat. (Feb. 29) — ended in some rather confusing controversy after Cutelaba’s rope-a-dope strategy tricked the referee on duty to put an end to the fight.
Indeed, Cutelaba pretended to be hurt after Ankalaev seemingly rocked him with a high kick. Smelling blood, the Russian-born fighter stormed on “The Hulk,” though nothing really landed cleanly. Cutelaba continued to act as if he was hurt, which convinced the referee on duty to put an end to the fight. Cutelaba immediately protested the fight, but the decision had already been made.
Now, “The Hulk” will get a chance to get some payback, or Ankalaev can score a more-convincing win this time around and go up 2-0 on his fellow light heavyweight.
UFC 249 is set to feature a lightweight title fight between division champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, taking on Tony Ferguson, while Rose Namajunas takes on Jessica Andrade in women’s strawweight action.
To see the current UFC 249: “Khabib vs Ferguson” fight card click here.