A highly anticipated rematch has been added to August’s UFC 252 card.
Ion Cutelaba and Magomed Ankalaev first met in February at UFC Norfolk. The light heavyweight pair clashed before the bell even sounded, leading to a wildly entertaining brawl. One cut short, however, by a questionable stoppage that occured when Cutelaba appeared to feign injury to launch a counter attack. The ref waved off the fight while Cutelaba was still swinging.
A rematch was soon booked for April’s UFC 249. However the pairing was scrapped when the whole card was uprooted and rebuilt a month later in Florida. Cutelaba was briefly linked to a fight with Ovince Saint Preux on April 25. That bout fell through as well.
Now, the duo finally has a date to settle their differences: August 15. MMA Fighting was first to report the rematch would transpire at UFC 252.
Prior to the pair’s first meeting, which ended in a stoppage win for Ankalaev, Ion Cutelaba was coming off a win over Khalil Rountree Jr. Magomed Ankalaev (14-1), meanwhile, has won four straight, including that controversial victory.
UFC 252 is expected to be headlined by the rubber match in Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier’s trilogy. No location has been officially announced for the card. The UFC is expected to spend the month of June in Nevada, before hosting four straight events on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, which they’ve dubbed “Fight Island.”
Felice Herrig vs. Virna Jandiroba is also expected to feature at the event.
