Ion Cutelaba has a new opponent. UFC Saudi Arabia added a light heavyweight fight between the Moldovan and Magomed Tuchalov, and MMA Junkie put it out in a one-line post.
“#UFCSaudiArabia adds Ion Cutelaba vs. Magomed Tuchalov (via @mma_kings),” the outlet wrote on X.
That was the whole announcement. The post gave no date and no slot on the card. It also skipped the emoji riddle, which I appreciate. The credit goes to @mma_kings, so at least a name is attached to the scoop. Yahoo Sports and The Lufkin Daily News also carried the booking.
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Cutelaba was born in Chișinău in December 1993 and built his base on the mats long before he ever saw a cage. He came up in Greco-Roman wrestling and won national titles in both sambo and judo. In 2012 he took the 90 kg division at the European Sambo Championships for Moldova. He then went 11-1 (1) on the Eastern European regional circuit, and the UFC signed him in the spring of 2016.
The early UFC stretch was rough. Misha Cirkunov submitted him in the third round of his June 2016 debut. That December he dropped a decision to Jared Cannonier, though both men took home Fight of the Night. After that the finishes started coming. Henrique da Silva went down inside the opening minute in 2017. Gadzhimurad Antigulov got stopped in Round 1 in 2018. Khalil Rountree Jr. didn’t make it out of the first in 2019.
He also owns one of the most argued-about losses at 205. Against Magomed Ankalaev in February 2020, referee Kevin MacDonald stopped it in the first round because he believed Cutelaba was out on his feet. Cutelaba protested on the spot, and media, fighters and fans tore into the stoppage. The Virginia athletic commission still denied his appeal, and the UFC moved to rebook the fight for UFC 249.
The file has a rough patch, too. In 2017 USADA pulled him from UFC 217 after weigh-ins and later handed him a six-month suspension over ozone therapy involving a blood transfusion. He was cleared to compete again in May 2018.
The announcement included nothing on Tuchalov’s record or recent results, so his side of the matchup will have to wait for the full card rollout.
Cutelaba made his UFC debut more than 10 years ago and is still getting booked, which tells you how matchmakers view him. He doesn’t drift through 15 minutes. Most of his highlight reel happened in the first round, on both sides of the ledger. If you’re holding a ticket for Saudi Arabia, don’t be in the concession line when this one starts.
