Ion Cuțelaba

Ion Cuțelaba (born 14 December 1993) is a Moldovan professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Born and raised in Chișinău, Cuțelaba began training and competing in Greco-Roman wrestling as an adolescent.

He additionally competed in Sambo and Judo, becoming a national champion in both.

In 2012, representing Moldova, Cuțelaba finished first in the 90 kg category of the European Sambo Championships.

Cuțelaba made his professional debut in April 2012, competing primarily for regional promotions across Eastern Europe.

He amassed a record of 11-1 (1) before signing with the UFC in the spring of 2016.

Cuțelaba made his promotional debut against Misha Cirkunov on 18 June 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89.

He lost the fight via submission in the third round.

Cuțelaba next faced Jonathan Wilson on 1 October 2016, at UFC Fight Night 96.

He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Cuțelaba next faced Jared Cannonier on 3 December 2016, at The Ultimate Fighter 24 Finale.

He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Subsequently, both fighters earned Fight of the Night honors.

Cuțelaba faced Henrique da Silva on 11 June 2017, at UFC Fight Night 110.

He won the fight via knockout in the opening minute of the first round.

Cuțelaba was expected to face Gadzhimurad Antigulov on 4 November 2017, at UFC 217.

However, Antigulov pulled out of the fight on 26 September citing an injury and was replaced by newcomer Michał Oleksiejczuk.

In turn after the weigh-ins, Cuțelaba was pulled from the event by USADA due to a potential Anti-Doping Policy violation stemming from its investigation into voluntary disclosures by Cuțelaba during an out-of-competition sample collections on 18 and 19 October.

He was provisionally suspended and the bout was scrapped.

USADA handed down a six-month suspension for ozone therapy involving a blood transfusion which is prohibited under 2018 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list on manipulation of blood component.

Cuțelaba became eligible to fight again on 6 May 2018.

The bout with Antigulov eventually took place on 28 July 2018, at UFC on Fox 30.

Cuțelaba won the fight via TKO in the first round.

Cuțelaba was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira on 19 January 2019, at UFC Fight Night 143.

However, on 10 January 2019, Cuțelaba was pulled out of the bout due to an injury.

The pair was rescheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson on 27 April 2019.

Cuțelaba lost via a rear-naked-choke submission at 3:37 in the second round.

Cuțelaba faced Khalil Rountree Jr. on 28 September 2019, at UFC Fight Night 160.

He won via TKO in the first round.

Cuțelaba faced Magomed Ankalaev on 29 February 2020, at UFC Fight Night 169.

He lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

The loss was controversial as referee Kevin MacDonald stopped the bout believing Cuțelaba was out on his feet after a flurry of strikes from Ankalaev, which Cuțelaba immediately protested.

The stoppage was heavily criticized by media outlets, fighters, and fans as being premature.

Cuțelaba appealed the loss, which was subsequently denied by the Virginia athletic commission.

Due to the controversy of the stoppage, the UFC rebooked the pair on 18 April 2020, to meet at UFC 249.

However, Ankalaev was forced to withdraw from the event due to COVID-19 pandemic travel restriction, with Cuțelaba being rescheduled to face Ovince Saint Preux on April 25, 2020.

However, on 9 April, UFC president Dana White announced that the event was postponed to a future date The rematch with Ankalaev was expected to take place on 15 August 2020, at UFC 252.

Cuțelaba then pulled out on 11 August after testing positive for COVID-19 and the bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 175.

However, the day of the event, the bout was once again scrapped after Cuțelaba tested positive for COVID-19 for a second time.

The bout rescheduled for the third time and they met on 24 October 2020 at UFC 254.