Ion Kutelaba and Ivan Erslan, UFC Paris Ceremonial Weigh-in Credit: Youtube/UFC
KSW veteran and European traveler Ivan Erslan arrived in the Octagon at UFC Paris to a warm welcome from Moldova’s Ion Kutelava.
The promotion has considered the pairing well enough to make it a high-profile qualifier in Paris, with Kutelaba looking to bounce back from his loss to Philippe Lands. Erslan won his last fight at KSW in February, bypassing the usual routes of Contender Series, The Ultimate Fighter and Dana White’s Look for a Fight to land in the UFC.
The fight begins and Erslan lands first with a nice right hand. Kutelaba also responded with a leg kick. Erslan landed some good punches on Klich, but Kutelaba backed Erslan up and landed hard. They were both starting to sit down and punch. Kutelaba followed a little further, and Erslan was timing his attack. Cutelaba attempted a takedown, but Erslan easily defeated him. Erslan was doing well with his jab, but Kutelaba briefly dropped him with a right. It didn’t do much damage to Elslan, but Cutelaba got a takedown. It didn’t last long, and Erslan quickly got back to his feet. With a minute left, Erslan did a good job with an outside leg kick and a one-two. Cutelaba was looking to crash the pocket, but nothing landed in the final seconds.
In the second round, Cutelaba mixed things up aggressively from the beginning. He was throwing punches and leg kicks while mixing in takedowns. Erslan became more cautious early in the second round, perhaps looking for an opportunity. Erslan attempts a takedown of his own midway through the round, but nothing happens. Immediately after, Kuteraba comes in with a single leg, kicks out the planted leg and takes the back. Erslan almost knacked, but was able to get back to his feet. With a minute left after breaking the clinch, Kutelaba hit a nice-time double leg. Mr. Kutelaba jumped too much on his back and fell on his back. Erslan finished the round on top, taking zero damage.
In the final round, it was clear that Erslan needed a finish. The round started with Erslan in front. Erslan probably wanted a brawl, but Cutelaba went for a takedown. The timing was bad, and when Kutelaba pulled his guard, Erslan defended. Cutelaba sticking out from her back is clearly breathing heavily. There was little urgency to land on Erslan. Kutelaba was about to stand up, but Erslan remained on the defensive instead. Cutelaba was able to stand up even when she was on her knees. Erslan still controlled his hips and pulled Kutelaba down. Erslan, who needed a finish, was too patient. Kutelaba finally reversed positions along the cage and got a takedown as the bell rang.
Official result: Ion Kutelava def. Ivan Erslan (split decision) (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
