Ion Cutelaba

Overview

Every one of Ion Cutelaba's six UFC finishes came in the first round, and every one of his submission losses came there or later. Nothing about his UFC career has been quiet.

"The Hulk" is a Moldovan southpaw who fights at light heavyweight out of CSA Team Moldova. His UFC record is 9-11-1, inside a 20-12-1 professional record across all promotions. Four of his wins are knockouts, two are submissions, three are decisions. He is not a champion and has not been one in our data. He carries a one-fight losing streak into his next bout.

A fast starter with an uneven ledger.

UFC Career

Cutelaba debuted in June 2016 and lost to Misha Cirkunov by submission in the third round. He bounced back with a unanimous decision over Jonathan Wilson, then lost on the cards to Jared Cannonier in December 2016.

The first real run came after a long gap. Henrique da Silva went down in 22 seconds in 2017, and Gadzhimurad Antigulov fell in round 1 a year later. Then came a submission loss to Glover Teixeira, one of the strong opponents in his history, followed by a first-round knockout of Khalil Rountree Jr. in September 2019. His longest win streak is two.

The wins stopped for a while after that. Magomed Ankalaev beat him twice by first-round knockout, 38 seconds in February 2020 and again at 4:19 in October of that year. A split-decision draw with Dustin Jacoby and a decision win over Devin Clark followed. Then three straight finish losses: submissions to Ryan Spann and Johnny Walker, and a second-round knockout against Kennedy Nzechukwu in a main event.

He rebuilt with a first-round knockout of Tanner Boser in April 2023, then dropped a decision to Philipe Lins. A split decision over Ivan Erslan and a first-round submission of Ibo Aslan set up a loss by split decision to Modestas Bukauskas. He submitted Oumar Sy in round 1 in March 2026, then was stopped in round 2 by Navajo Stirling, another strong opponent.

Win, loss, win, loss. The pattern has held for years.

Fighting Style

Cutelaba is a busy striker who is easy to hit. He lands more per minute than most UFC fighters, but his striking defense is below the UFC average, so he takes a lot in return.

He also wrestles more than his brawler reputation suggests. He gets takedowns far more often than most and is very hard to take down himself. He rarely hunts for submissions, though two of his nine wins came that way.

His wins come early. Six of his nine victories were first-round finishes, four by knockout and two by submission, and he has never finished a fight after round 1. His losses show the other side of that risk: four by knockout, four by submission and three on the cards.

Notable Wins

• Khalil Rountree Jr. — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs. Cannonier (2019)
• Tanner Boser — KO/TKO, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Allen (2023)
• Oumar Sy — Submission, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Emmett vs Vallejos (2026)
• Ibo Aslan — Submission, round 1, UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs Song (2025)

Quick Facts

• Division: Light Heavyweight
• UFC record: 9-11-1
• Professional record (all promotions): 20-12-1
• UFC debut: 2016
• Stance: Southpaw
• Height / reach: 6'1" / 75"
• Team: CSA Team Moldova
• Born: Moldova