Ion Cuțelaba (born 14 December 1993)[4] 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.
[1] In 2012, representing Moldova, Cuțelaba finished first in the 90 kg category of the European Sambo Championships.
[2] Cuțelaba made his professional debut in April 2012, competing primarily for regional promotions across Eastern Europe.
[1] Cuțelaba made his promotional debut against Misha Cirkunov on 18 June 2016, at UFC Fight Night 89.
[10] Cuțelaba faced Henrique da Silva on 11 June 2017, at UFC Fight Night 110.
[13] However, Antigulov pulled out of the fight on 26 September citing an injury and was replaced by newcomer Michał Oleksiejczuk.
[18] Cuțelaba was scheduled to face Glover Teixeira on 19 January 2019, at UFC Fight Night 143.
[20] The pair was rescheduled to meet at UFC Fight Night: Jacaré vs. Hermansson on 27 April 2019.
[34] 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.
[37] Cuțelaba then pulled out on 11 August after testing positive for COVID-19 and the bout was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 175.
[56] Cuțelaba was scheduled to face Ovince Saint Preux on 5 August 2023, at UFC on ESPN 50.
[62] Cutelaba faced promotional newcomer Ivan Erslan on 28 September 2024 at UFC Fight Night 243.