Light heavyweights Ibo Aslan and Ion Cutelaba closed out the UFC Seattle prelims at the Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington on Saturday – and had a tough act to follow.
Six of them, in fact. The first six fights of the night at UFC Seattle had ended inside the distance, with Aslan versus Cutelaba looking to make it a clean sweep for finishes on the preliminary card.
There were some big swings in the opening minute of Saturday’s featured preliminary card bout, and it was Aslan hitting the mark first. That sent Cutelaba into takedown mode, but they were back up pretty quick, and Cutelaba landed a solid blow of his own. A takedown by Cutelaba, then another, followed; back on the feet he fanned on a spinning back fist. Moments later, a power shot by Ion sat Aslan down, though he got back up – only to be planted on his back care of a takedown. Cutelaba got a bit of ground n’ pound in, nearly took the back, then stepped across the body, locking up an arm-triangle choke!
Ibo Aslan had nowhere to go, and shortly after the ref checked on him, Aslan was forced to tap! The Turkish fighter looked distraught following the loss, and Ion Cutelaba had a message after the fight: “who now is power? I am power!” Asked who he wanted next, Cutelaba displayed a willingness to face anyone, adding emphatically “I don’t f*cking care!”
Cutelaba has now won two straight, building off a September victory over Ivan Erslan.
Official Result: Ion Cutelaba def. Ibo Aslan by submission (arm-triangle choke), Round 1, 2:51
