First and foremost, Cutelaba was relatively untested and just 22 years old when he first stepped into the Octagon in the Canadian capital, and while seven fights is a solid sample size when it comes to diagnosing his potential, it’s also not quite big enough when it comes to making definitive statements about where his career will end up and the heights he could reach in the coming years.
Secondly, the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions operate differently than the remaining weight classes in the UFC.
In most divisions, it takes young, emerging talents four, five, six fights — sometimes more — before they’re standing across the cage from a fellow rising star or battle-tested, Top 15 fighter. But at the two highest weight classes in the UFC, that wait time is drastically reduced and a couple solid performances can lead to you standing opposite a former title challenger in your sixth bout with the company.
“It is indeed pretty hard, but I never expected, nor would I wanted it to be different,” said Cutelaba, who followed up victories over Henrique da Silva and Gadzhimurad Antigulov with a second-round submission loss to Glover Teixeira last April in Sunrise, Florida.
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It was the 40-year-old Brazilian’s 17th UFC appearance and Cutelaba’s 19th professional fight.
“I am a young fighter; I’m still evolving,” he added. “I have learned a lot during these last 18 months and I had to make many changes. It helped me become stronger, more confident and very determined.
“One day, I will become a UFC champion.”
After getting back into the win column in September with a hellacious first-round finish of former TUF finalist Khalil Rountree Jr. in Denmark, Cutelaba is set to venture back into the fray against another up-and-comer in the 205-pound ranks this weekend when he squares off with the streaking Ankalaev.