Tag: Ion Cutelaba

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, i…

Ryan Spann

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?

Continue Reading Ion Cutelaba vs. Ryan Spann In The Works For February 26 Event at MMA News.

Anthony Smith Laughs Off Ion Cutelaba’s Callout

Anthony Smith is not impressed with Ion Cutelaba’s callout.  UFC Vegas 37’s main event saw Anthony Smith outclass Ryan Spann en route to a first-round finish. Smith wasn’t the only light heavyweight to pick up a big win on the card; Ion Cutelaba also earned a victory against Devin Clark in the co-main event. Cutelaba […]

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Anthony Smith is not impressed with Ion Cutelaba’s callout. 

UFC Vegas 37’s main event saw Anthony Smith outclass Ryan Spann en route to a first-round finish. Smith wasn’t the only light heavyweight to pick up a big win on the card; Ion Cutelaba also earned a victory against Devin Clark in the co-main event.

Cutelaba called out Smith after his win, but it doesn’t seem “Lionheart” is going to be granting the Moldovan fighter’s wish any time soon. At the post-fight press conference, Smith seemed surprised that Cutelaba had the audacity to challenge him.  

“No, he didn’t,” Smith chuckled in disbelief. “No, that ain’t it” (laughs again).

Of course, fighters have to shoot their shots, but Smith doesn’t believe “The Hulk” is on his level. Cutelaba had a solid performance that went all fifteen minutes, while Smith finished the same opponent in the first round last year. 

“I like watching Ion fight. I think his style’s super-exciting. But no, I’m good. I mean, did you watch the fight he was just in? You see what I did to that guy? OK. Just making sure.”

A fight that is on Smith’s mind is a rematch with Alexsander Rakic. The pair met in August of last year and Rakic dominated the bout. Smith now wants a chance at revenge and a chance to get that #3 spot back. 

“That’s what I want. That’s what I asked for. That’s the fight that I want. It’s the one I’ve been talking about. It’s nothing personal. Me and Rakic have nothing but positive exchanges with each other before and after the fight. It’s purely competitive. I want his spot. He took mine; I want to take it back.”

At the end of the day, a bout with Cutelaba doesn’t make sense to Smith. Smith is currently ranked sixth in the UFC’s official rankings while Cutelaba is not listed in the top fifteen. 

“I tell you what I’m not gonna do. I’m not gonna fight someone ranked below me. I’ve done that three times in a row now. I think I’ve paid my dues. I think I made up for whatever I had to make up for those two losses. It would be mind-blowing if they wanted me to fight someone below me again. So I’ll wait for whatever makes sense. If it’s Rakic, great…it’s gotta be a fight that’ll get me to a title fight.”

Jan Blachowicz sits atop the lightweight division right now and will defend his title against Glover Teixeira in October. Ji?í Procházka is the likely contender to the winner of that bout should he choose to wait for the victor. With the next two title fights possibly booked, this gives the rest of the division some time to sort itself out over the upcoming months. 

Continue Reading Anthony Smith Laughs Off Ion Cutelaba’s Callout at MMA News.

Ion Cutelaba Not Thrilled With Damage Inflicted On Devin Clark, Wants Anthony Smith Next

CutelabaIon Cutelaba was not happy with the damage he inflicted on Devin Clark. Cutelaba returned to the win column for the first time since 2019 when he dominated Clark over three rounds to get the unanimous decision victory at UFC Vegas 37 last night. Clark did well to last the fight, but ultimately took plenty […]

Cutelaba

Ion Cutelaba was not happy with the damage he inflicted on Devin Clark.

Cutelaba returned to the win column for the first time since 2019 when he dominated Clark over three rounds to get the unanimous decision victory at UFC Vegas 37 last night.

Clark did well to last the fight, but ultimately took plenty of damage including his teeth getting all mangled.

Cutelaba saw the damage he inflicted on Clark and was not particularly thrilled either.

“It’s very, very … I looked, and I’m not happy,” Cutelaba said (via MMA Junkie). “(It came from) my knee and hand. (My punches) are very strong, and Clark is a very good fighter. But I’m strong. I’m very tough. But my opponent is very strong.”

As for what’s next after ending a three-fight winless streak? Cutelaba wants Anthony Smith in a headliner.

“I’m ready for a new show, a new fight. … Let’s go with (Anthony) Smith,” Cutelaba added. “I’m ready for you, for me, and an important win. Let’s fight in a main event.”

It’s certainly an option if a rematch between Smith and Aleksandar Rakic doesn’t pan out.

UFC Vegas 37 Highlights: Ion Cutelaba Dominates Devin Clark

Devin Clark vs. Ion Cutelaba was booked in the co-main event position.  The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (September 18, 2021) at the UFC Vegas 37 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.  It was a wild first round as Ion clinched with him briefly before later dropping […]

Continue Reading UFC Vegas 37 Highlights: Ion Cutelaba Dominates Devin Clark at MMA News.

Devin Clark vs. Ion Cutelaba was booked in the co-main event position. 

The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (September 18, 2021) at the UFC Vegas 37 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility. 

It was a wild first round as Ion clinched with him briefly before later dropping a missile of a right hand that sent Clark down. Ion smashed him on the ground, but Clark didn’t give up and kept getting up only to be taken back down. 

Ion dominated the second round with a big takedown and rained down some damage from top position. Ion controlled the third round en route to a decision win. 

Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:

Clark was coming off a submission loss to Anthony Smith in November 2020. Before that, Clark went 3-1 in his last four fights and had gone on a two-fight winning streak thanks to back-to-back wins via decision over Dequan Townsend and Alonzo Menifield. 

Cutelaba had been in a rough stretch in his career heading into this fight. In his last 5 bouts, he had gone 1-3-1. He got a win over Khalil Rountree Jr. by TKO in September 2019, then back-to-back losses to Magomed Ankalaev by KO and Magomed Ankalaev before going to a draw with Dustin Jacoby in May 2021. 

UFC Vegas 37 Results: Anthony Smith vs. Ryan Spann, Devin Clark vs. Ion Cutelaba

MMA News has you covered with results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits from UFC Vegas 37. Be sure to keep checking the homepage for the latest news.

Continue Reading UFC Vegas 37 Highlights: Ion Cutelaba Dominates Devin Clark at MMA News.

(Video) UFC Vegas 25 Faceoffs: Things Get Physical Once Again

For the second time this month, things got physical during UFC faceoffs, and this time Dana White cannot lay the blame on UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby. Two weeks ago, the planned contest between Jeremy Stephens and Drakkar Klose was scrapped after a hard…

For the second time this month, things got physical during UFC faceoffs, and this time Dana White cannot lay the blame on UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby. Two weeks ago, the planned contest between Jeremy Stephens and Drakkar Klose was scrapped after a hard shove from Stephens injured Klose and rendered him unable to make the […]

Magomed Ankalaev Knocks Ion Cutelaba Out Cold In Rematch At UFC 254

AnkalaevThe rivalry was settled at UFC 254 after Magomed Ankalaev finished Ion Cutelaba in round one of their long-awaited rematch to open the main card. After fighting a very technical round picking his shots Ankalaev found the cross that would put Cutelaba down and spell the end as he finished him with ground and pound. […]

Ankalaev

The rivalry was settled at UFC 254 after Magomed Ankalaev finished Ion Cutelaba in round one of their long-awaited rematch to open the main card.

After fighting a very technical round picking his shots Ankalaev found the cross that would put Cutelaba down and spell the end as he finished him with ground and pound.

The pair squared of initially at UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo earlier this year in March. That matchup ended in controversy as the referee called the fight after seeing Cutelaba appear injured on the feet.