UFC Fight Night 192: Devin Clark vs Ion Cutelaba Picks, Odds, and Predictions

Ion Cutelaba and Devin Clark fight Saturday in UFC Fight Night 192 at the UFC Apex. Cutelaba enters this fight with a 15-6 record and has won 80 percent of his fights by knockout. Clark enters this fight with a 12-5 record and has won 67 percent of his fights by decision.

Cutelaba has split his last 12 fights and is coming off a May draw against Dustin Jacoby. Cutelaba is averaging 5.03 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 40 percent. Cutelaba is averaging 3.69 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 57 percent. Cutelaba is coming off a draw at UFC on ESPN 23 where he landed 111 total strikes and produced nine takedowns. Cutelaba is still looking for his first victory since UFC Fight Night 160 more than two years ago. Cutelaba comes from a wrestling background while also having experience in Sambo and Judo, but he’s most known for his standup striking. Cutelaba has impressive power and one punch knockout potential, and 12 of his 15 career victories have come by knockout. Cutelaba throws nothing but heavy strikes. The issue with Cutelaba is that his conditioning fades rather quickly, and he’s lost three of his last five fights that have made it out of the first round. This will be Cutelaba’s third career fight in Nevada.

Clark has split his last 10 fights and is coming off a November loss to Anthony Smith. Clark is averaging 3.33 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy percentage of 57 percent. Clark is averaging 2.70 takedowns with an accuracy percentage of 36 percent. Clark is coming off a first round submission loss at UFC on ESPN 18, a loss where he landed 27 total strikes. Clark is now 6-5 under the UFC banner and hopes to avoid back-to-back losses for the first time in his career. Clark comes from a wrestling background and the ground is where he’s had his most success. Clark also has a 76 percent takedown defense percentage. Clark has been quite accurate with his strikes and he has three career knockout wins, but he’s at his best in the clinch or on the ground. Clark has never lost a career decision, winning all eight bouts. This will be Clark’s fourth career fight in Nevada.

There’s a path for Clark to pull off the upset here, as he can control things on the canvas and grind out a likely decision victory. However, Cutelaba isn’t the easiest fighter to takedown, and his background in sambo and judo makes him quite comfortable in the clinch. Cutelaba also has a clear edge on the feet and the power to end things at any moment. This is a dangerous fight for Clark.

I like Cutelaba to get his first win in over two years.