KSW veteran and well-traveled European light heavyweight Ivan Erslan makes his octagon debut at UFC Paris on Saturday, September 28, 2024. At the Accor Arena on a card headlined by Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis, Croatia’s Erslan faces Ion “The Hulk” Cutelaba.
Ivan Erslan
Standing at six-foot-three
Fighting at 1205 lbs (light-heavyweight)
32-years-old
Fighting out of Obrovac, Croatia
Training out of American Top Team Zagreb
A pro record of 14-3, 1 NC
10 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
Lately, the UFC has been signing guys coming off just one win. With Erslan I am fine with that. I’m fine with it because Erslan is UFC level and he isn’t getting any younger. Also, the last guy he lost to, he had also beat before that. Erslan has good wins over not-so-great opponents but credible guys outside the UFC. Darwin Rodriguez, Rafal Kijanczuk, Dirlei Broenstrup, Bogdan Gnidko, and former UFC fighter Luis Henrique da Silva are solid wins.
I believe the first thing I noticed about Erslan is his high guard. With the high guard, he likes to throw the jab. As a jab is a valuable weapon, though I believe it’s least valuable at the heavier weight classes. I say that because if not done perfectly it leaves you open to the looping punches and hooks. With the way Erslan throws the jab, he leans his head into it more than he should. You want to see more of a snapping jab but he sits down on it too much. It’s still useful to have but he just throws it too much. Where Erslan is most dangerous is thriving in the chaos. He starts off clean with the jab and then just unleashes wild overhands. He’s dangerous in those wild exchanges where his chin has held up and his power perseveres.
Erslan has been knocked out and it’s because the way he fights is volatile. The way he just throws caution to the wind in the pocket, sometimes he’s just a nail and not the hammer. I do see Erslan doing well in the UFC. He doesn’t have any major holes in his game. His cardio is fine and his takedown defense is good enough. I don’t rate his ground game all that highly but it’s tough to even get him there. I will say in the UFC there will be guys much better in the wrestling than who he’s fought in KSW. I believe Erslan could be a fixture in the light heavyweight division for a couple years. I don’t think he will ever be ranked but he’ll be right outside of that.
How he matches up with Cutelaba:
Cutelaba, despite a lot of his performances, is a solid fighter. He’s a power puncher and a strong wrestler as well as a menace on top. The big issue with him is that he has bad mental gaps. I believe if he fights smart and uses his wrestling he’ll get a win. Him fighting smart is hard to trust however. If he does decide to trade with Erslan I believe Cutelaba will get caught. I believe that will happen, because Cutelaba is fighting a debutant coming off a bad loss. He’s going to want to go out there and make a statement and it’ll cost him.
