MAGOMED ANKALAEV VS. ION CUTELABA
A little less than six months after their awkward encounter in Norfolk, Virginia, Magomed Ankalaev and Ion Cutelaba will finally stand across the Octagon from one another again and look to settle their differences.
The duo faced off at the end of February and the bout was halted 39 seconds in when referee Kevin MacDonald believes that Cutelaba was out on his feet. Unfortunately, the hulking Moldovan was playing possum, apparently too well, leading to an unsatisfying conclusion to what was shaping up to be an interesting fight. Initially scheduled to run it back a couple weeks ago, the bout was pushed back and now they’ll run it back this weekend.
Prior to their first encounter, Ankalaev had won three straight, two via TKO where head kicks kicked off the finishing sequence. The 28-year-old is 13-1 overall and should be on the short list of emerging contenders to keep tabs on in the 205-pound weight class, especially with things opening up at the top of the division.
Cutelaba had won three of four prior to his first bout with Ankalaev, posting impressive stoppage victories over Luis Henrique da Silva, Gadzhimurad Antigulov, and Khalil Rountree while falling to Glover Teixeira in a bout where he had the veteran Brazilian hurt early on. A powerhouse who has been steadily learning to be more patient and pick his spots in the cage, the aggressive 26-year-old can make a strong case for a place in the rankings with an impressive performance in this one.
