SEATTLE – Ion Cutelaba is expecting an explosive situation when he enters the octagon with Ibo Aslan at UFC Fight Night 252, and he fully expects to emerge from the hearth.
Cutelaba (18-9-1 MMA, 7-8-1 UFC) meets Aslan (14-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday in a lightweight heavyweight bout at Climate Pledge Arena (ESPN+), and the matchup has all of the makings of a temporary and highly violent affair.
With 16 UFC fights under his belt, there’s no secret what Cutelaba brings to the table. He’s finished all but two of his profession wins by stoppage, but that percentage falls just shy of Aslan, who has knocked out his opponent in all of his victories to this point, with just one escaping the primary round.
Cutelaba has seen the best way Aslan has run through the competition thus far, but said that’s all about to vary.
“I’ve prepared hard for this for 3 months,” Cutelaba told MMA Junkie and other reporters through an interpreter at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 252 media day. “I do know exactly what to anticipate from him. I do know he’s a really exciting fighter, that he likes to pressure. But as he said about me, I all the time have a answer for the pressure he can bring.”
Although Cutelaba, who has been within the UFC since July 2016, has been on this stage many more times than Aslan, there’s countless instance throughout history where which means nothing once the punches start flying.
For Cutelaba, nevertheless, it should be the difference between victory and defeat.
“I believe 99 percent of the fight might be decided by my experience,” Cutelaba said.
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