At the end of the pool, Tulbea lost two straight matches each to Montero (0–5) and Abas (1–6) with a single classification and technical point, finishing only in third place and twenty-first overall in the final standings.

[4] At the 2005 European Wrestling Championships in Varna, Bulgaria, Tulbea outclassed the host nation's strong contender Radoslav Velikov to capture the flyweight title, adding it to his gold medal from the same tournament in 2001.

Moldova's prime minister Vasile Tarlev also congratulated him for his tremendous triumph at the European Championships, mentioning that "his success has finally made the country's image to the world and his performance has become a model for the young generation".

[6] Tulbea eventually worked as an assistant coach for the Moldovan wrestling team, until he made a final decision to gain a dual residency status upon his immediate transfer to Monaco in 2009.

The following year, at the 2011 European Wrestling Championships in Dortmund, Germany, Tulbea pulled off a courageous fight for his new squad with a top finish in the men's flyweight division, but lost the bronze medal match to another Belarusian Uladzislau Andreyeu.