Ion
Cutelaba edged
KSW veteran Ivan Erslan
over three rounds to close out the UFC Fight Night 243 prelims at
Accor Arena in Paris.
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“The Hulk” (18-10-1, 7-9-1 UFC) came into the bout having lost four
of his last five fights and needed an impressive performance over
the UFC debutant. Cutelaba’s heavy hands carried the day early as
The Hulk walked down Erslan with heavy haymakers. Cutelaba wobbled
and dropped Erslan while trading in the pocket in the second round
and even scored an easy takedown.
Cutelaba should’ve stayed on his feet and pressed the action but an
ill-time takedown allowed Erslan to climb back into the fight.
Erslan rode Cutelaba for most of the final round before Cutelaba
reversed position in the closing seconds. The fight looked like a
clear 29-28 verdict for Cutelaba, but fans held their breath in
fear as the scorecards were read. Luckily for Cutelaba, a split
decision verdict (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) wasn’t enough to wipe away
his first win since 2023.
Undefeated Sy Blanks Jung
Undefeated French light heavyweight Oumar Sy has
been very impressive throughout his run, but he was forced to adapt
to savvy UFC vet Da Woon
Jung. Despite coming in on a three-fight losing streak, the
heavy-fisted South Korean was stubborn and refused to bow down to
the hometown favorite.
Sy started fast and snapped Jung’s head back with crisp counters
but was stunned by a returning left hand. Hurt, Sy turned to his
wrestling and dumped Woon Jung on his butt, but couldn’t keep him
floored. Sy returned to striking in round two, but his single shots
kept Jung in the fight. Bleeding from his eye, Jung took a beating
in the final 20 seconds of the round but survived to see the final
round.
Sy capped off his shutout (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) with the jab in
round three. He landed the punch at will but lacked the gas to
apply the pressure for the finish. Sy finished the fight in a
dominant position by way of a body lock. It was a solid test for
the rising prospect. Sy could be a fighter to keep an eye on but
he’ll have to improve his conditioning as he moves on to tougher
opposition.
Klein Decisions Massive Underdog Roberts
Since opening his UFC stint 1-2, Slovakia’s Ludovit
Klein has turned it around and won seven of his last eight,
with one draw. “Mr. Highlight” is a well-rounded fighter with a
dangerous ground game, but a finish eluded him throughout his
lightweight clash with the scrappy Roosevelt
Roberts.
Roberts surprised the -1000 favorite Klein with crafty boxing,
sharp elbows, and a high kick that forced Klein to clinch in the
first round. Klein wasn’t deterred and took over the fight over the
next two rounds. Kleins wrestling kept Roberts in guard, protecting
himself from heavy ground and pound. By the end of the fight,
Roberts’ eye was a bloody mess as Klein (23-4-1) cruised to the
unanimous decision win (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Lapilus Outduels Morales
Taylor
Lapilus started 2024 on a sour note but is doing everything he
can to end the year strong. The French bantamweight won his second
fight of the year by defeating Vince
Morales by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27). Morales, a
fellow UFC re-signing, returned to the Octagon after winning a
United Fight League title a month ago. Morales pushed the fight and
continuously came forward but took hard punches for his trouble.
The fight brought the French crowd to its feet as Lapilus (21-4)
got the better of exciting exchanges. It was a clear win for
“Double Impact,” but Morales (16-8) slugging style kept the pace
engaging.
Overweight Perez Taps Zheleznyakova
Ailin
Perez is a rising bantamweight star, but missing weight (136.5
pounds) isn’t going to help her bank account grow to its fullest
potential. Still, the Argentinian has a problematic style if she
can get her opponent the mat. Just ask Darya
Zheleznyakova. Perez wasted little time taking the Russian MMA
Factory product to the mat and securing a first-round arm-triangle
(3:52).
Zheleznyakova (9-2, 1-1 UFC) had Perez in side control but didn’t
trust the position. Her ultimate downfall was her surrendering the
position and returning the fight to the feet. Perez shot her
takedown and quickly mounted her prey. Zheleznyakova’s face turned
into a cherry before she finally tapped. Perez (11-2, 4-1 UFC)
celebrated her fourth-straight win by twerking in Zheleznykakova’s
face.
Barez Outlasts Altamirano in Flyweight Firefight
Flyweights Victor
Altamirano and Daniel
Barez had a furious three-round affair that was so close
Sherdog’s virtual scorers were split. Barez dropped the Fort Worth,
Texas, native with a crisp right hand in the first round but
Altamirano closed the gap over the last two rounds. Ben Duffy,
Tristian Critchfield, and Jay Pettry agreed that Altamirano’s
taekwondo-style kicks and unpredictable striking won him the final
round. But the second round is where the fight was decided on the
cards.
Barez threw wide haymakers while Altamirano pieced him up with
clean, short counters, which, unfortunately for the American,
resulted in a flash knockdown threw the round into doubt. That
flash knockdown ultimately cost Altamirano (12-5) the fight by
unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), giving him his third
straight loss.
Cavalcanti Edges Out Cornolle
France’s Nora
Cornolle hadn’t felt defeat in the cage since her first fight
three years ago. The heavy-handed bantamweight cruised through her
first two UFC fights and hoped to climb to another level of stardom
in front of the supportive Accor Arena crowd. Standing across from
her was Jacqueline
Cavalcanti, the same foe who beat her in her debut.
Three years of growth, support from her countrymen and the opinion
of one very mistaken judge weren’t enough for Cornolle to avenge
her lone career defeat. Cavalcanti (8-1, 3-0 UFC) once again proved
to be too fast and too sharp for Cornolle over three rounds,
snatching a split decision victory (29-28, 28-29, 28-29). Despite
the close cards, Cavalcanti’s constant pressure carried the fight.
Cornolle (8-2, 2-1 UFC) had her moments and fought to the final
bell but was consistently beaten to the punch by her rival. With
the win, Cavalcanti advances deeper into a wide-open bantamweight
division hungry for fresh talent.
Duncan Sleeps Oki
If you were still sleepy heading into the UFC Paris card, then
Chris
Duncan’s bounce-back performance against Bolaji Oki
would’ve woke you up for sure. After several furious minutes, the
only person left sleeping was Oki after Duncan’s python-like grip
put the Belgian lightweight out.
Duncan (12-2, 3-1 UFC) redeemed himself from a first-round
submission in his last bout, but the aggressive Oki put him on the
defensive early (9-2). After winning by split decision in his last
fight, Oki came forward and looked to put Duncan away with heavy
shots. Looking to take Duncan down near the cage, Oki’s head was in
prime position for a guillotine. Duncan nearly secured the choke,
but Oki could pop his head out, land on some ground, and pound.
Duncan weathered the storm and got back to his feet but knew that
Oki would shoot yet again.
This time, he was ready and instantly locked in his guillotine
around Oki’s neck. Oki struggled and pulled at the
grip while the air quickly escaped his brain. He would wake up to
his first loss in nine fights.