Ion Cutelaba and Dustin Jacoby faced off in a Light Heavyweight clash tonight (Sat., May 1, 2021) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada at UFC Vegas 25. After an excellent fight, the bout was declared a draw.
Jacoby opened with a solid low kick. Big left hook swing connected for Cutelaba, but Jacoby wore it well and jabbed back. Stiff jabs and low kicks from the kickboxer. Massive right hand connected for Cutelaba and wobbled Jacoby, then “Hulk” scored a takedown along the fence. Jacoby worked hard to scramble up, but he couldn’t create separation. Cutelaba landed punches between mat returns. Rinse and repeat! Cutelaba let a series of heavy elbows rip before throwing his opponent for a sixth or seventh time. Jacoby finally escaped the back clinch with 30 seconds remaining. Jacoby returned to his jab, which still looked sharp, before the end of the round.
Cutelaba caught a kick immediately to wind up in the exact same back clinch position. Jacoby escaped but ate a big knee in the process. Jacoby landed a low kick and defended a takedown. Good right hand and uppercut from Cutelaba. Double jab from Jacoby. Cutelaba landed a hard combination and ducked into a takedown, but his foe stopped it. Hard uppercut from Jacoby scored clean. Stiff left hook from “Hulk,” who is landing a lot despite his fatigue. Clean right hand counter to a Jacoby low kick — Jacoby has a CHIN! Jacoby led the dance, landing some good jabs. Heavy right hand from Jacoby opened up a cut on his opponent’s face. It was a close round, as Jacoby slowly took over but ate lots of shots in the process.
Jacoby returned to the low kick to begin round three. Big body kick from the kickboxer, who is stalking his foe around the Octagon. Clean 1-1-2 from Cutelaba. Cutelaba is tired, but it’s not stopping him from firing back. Jacoby landed his jab at a solid rate. The two traded left hooks. Another 1-1-2 from Cutelaba. Short right hand found the target for Jacoby, who nearly followed up with a jump knee. The fight moved into the clinch, but no takedown emerged for either man. Cutelaba landed a big right, prompting a takedown attempt from Jacoby. Stiff jab from Jacoby, who finished the bout with a takedown of his own.
After the full 15 minutes, the judges called the bout a split-draw, which was fairly appropriate given just how competitive the fight was! If nothing else, it was a lot of fun.
Result: Ion Cutelaba and Dustin Jacoby battle to a split-draw (29-28, 28-29, 28-28)
For complete UFC Vegas 25: “Reyes vs. Prochazka” results and play-by-play, click HERE!