Ion Cutelaba calls UFC Norfolk loss an ‘injustice,’ plans to appeal

Ion Cutelaba feels he was done an injustice in his UFC Norfolk main card fight with Magomed Ankalaev.

Less than a minute into the first round of his fight with Ankalaev, Cutelaba seemed to be hurt by his foe’s striking. While he looked slightly wobbly, however, he was still standing, still defending, and still firing back. Despite these factors, the referee elected to stop the fight — and received immediate protest from Cutelaba.

Speaking on Instagram on Sunday, Cutelaba addressed this controversy, calling it “one of the worst calls in UFC history.” He claimed that he will be contacting the Virginia athletic commission about reversing the decision.

See what Cutelaba had to say below:

“Tonight I was denied a chance to Show my work to the fans. Refereeing is a very hard job and tonight a mistake took away months of hard work and possible income from my family. I know that the commission will be able to understand that this was a incorrect call and will reverse the decision. Nobody wins in a situation like this, the fans lost on watching What Could be the fight of the Night, my opponent had a contestable win that will be overturned and I had one of the worst calls in @ufc history happen Against me. I appreciate all the support from the fans in Norfolk, back home and all offer the world. I will be back and I believe that We will together be able to correct this injustice.” – Ion Cutelaba on Instagram.

Cutelaba entered this fight with some solid momentum behind him, having recently picked up a violent first-round win over Khalil Rountree, so it’s easy to understand his frustration.

Do you think the result of this Ion Cutelaba vs. Magomed Ankalaev fight should be overturned?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 3/2/2020.