Ion Cutelaba
Active 2015–present · rated in 1 edition · peak overall 77.0
Scouting report
Ion Cutelaba trained in Greco-Roman wrestling, sambo and judo, and won national titles in sambo and judo for Moldova. He debuted in the UFC at UFC Fight Night 89 in Ottawa on June 18, 2016 and lost to Misha Cirkunov by arm-triangle choke in round three. He knocked out Henrique da Silva in 22 seconds at UFC Fight Night 110 in Auckland in June 2017. He won Fight of the Night in a decision loss to Jared Cannonier at the TUF 24 Finale in December 2016.
Peak ratings
Ion Cutelaba: a sambo and judo champion who fights fast
Cutelaba has trained with Timoshkov Sport Club, CSA Moldova and MMA Factory. His fast starts have won most of his fights: da Silva in 22 seconds, Gadzhimurad Antigulov by TKO in round one at UFC on Fox 30 in Calgary in July 2018, and Khalil Rountree by TKO in round one in Copenhagen in September 2019. A January 2019 bout with Glover Teixeira was called off because of an injury. They fought in Florida that April, and Teixeira won by rear-naked choke in round two.
Cutelaba's ratings, explained
Boxing. 84. Da Silva went down in 22 seconds in Auckland. Tanner Boser fell by TKO in round one in Kansas City in April 2023.
Kickboxing. 78. Antigulov was stopped in round one in Calgary in July 2018.
Wrestling. 80. He started in Greco-Roman wrestling. Devin Clark lost a unanimous decision to him in Las Vegas in September 2021.
BJJ. 70, the weakest of his eight. Teixeira, Ryan Spann and Johnny Walker all finished him on the mat, Spann with a guillotine in May 2022 and Walker with a rear-naked choke at UFC 279 in September 2022.
Strength. 86, his highest. Ibo Aslan was submitted with an arm-triangle in round one in Seattle in February 2025, and Oumar Sy with a guillotine in round one in March 2026.
Durability. 80. Kennedy Nzechukwu stopped him by TKO at 1:02 of round two in Las Vegas in November 2022.
Cardio. 78. He drew with Dustin Jacoby on a split decision in May 2021. Philipe Lins beat him on a unanimous decision at UFC 299 in March 2024.
Fight IQ. 74. Magomed Ankalaev won by TKO 38 seconds into their February 2020 fight in Norfolk, a stoppage widely called premature. Cutelaba appealed and the Virginia commission denied it.
Strength at 86 gives him a fast start
Strength is the best rating, and his fastest wins show it. He has finished more than half of his UFC wins in round one. He had a rematch with Ankalaev canceled twice because of positive COVID tests before it happened at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi in October 2020, where Ankalaev knocked him out in round one.
Jiu-jitsu at 70, and what happens when the first minute fails
BJJ is the lowest number and fight IQ at 74 is close. Cirkunov, Teixeira, Spann and Walker all ended his night with chokes. Modestas Bukauskas won a split decision at UFC 315 in Montreal in May 2025, and Navajo Stirling stopped him in round two in June 2026. When a fast start does not end it, opponents have found the mat.
Keep exploring
Closest light heavyweight profiles to Ion Cutelaba, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Volkan Oezdemirbest boxing 89 · weakest bjj 70
- Chuck Liddellbest boxing 90 · weakest bjj 68
- Jimi Manuwabest boxing 89 · weakest bjj 70
- Thiago Silvabest boxing 84 · weakest wrestling 76
- Light Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Ion Cutelaba's strongest attribute, Strength.
Draft Ion Cutelaba into your build
Ion Cutelaba enters the pool on any spin landing on light heavyweight between 2020 and 2022. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Ion Cutelaba is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Ion Cutelaba's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.