For the first time in his UFC tenure, Ion Cuțelaba has scored a submission, defeating Ibo Aslan in the featured preliminary bout at UFC Seattle.
Cuțelaba and Aslan got right into things early, swinging away and trading hard blows throughout the fight's opening minute. Though each landed hard on one another, the Moldovan changed strategy and looked to bring the fight to the ground.
This plan proved successful, as "The Hulk" was able to lock up an arm-triangle and score a tap in just under three minutes.
Ion Cuțelaba Scores Submission Win In Under Three Minutes At UFC Seattle
A victory via submission for Cuțelaba was unexpected, as his last one came against Vitali Ontishchenko in April 2015 -- two fights prior to his UFC debut.
The Moldovan standout winning via submission came in at +1100. A first-round submission win for "The Hulk," in fact, had odds of +2000.
Cuțelaba has now won three of his last four, bouncing back from a three-fight losing skid he suffered in 2022.
Aslan, meanwhile, suffers the second loss of his professional career. He earned a UFC contract through a win over Paulo Renato Jr. on Dana White's Contender Series and scored finishes of Anton Turkalj and Raffael Cerqueira prior to tonight's loss.