Light Heavyweights
Khalil Rountree (8-3) vs. Ion Cutelaba (14-4)ODDS: Rountree (-140), Cutelaba (+120)
Has Rountree finally turned the corner? “The War Horse” was near the top of most prospect lists when he was announced as a cast member for Season 23 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” but all the show did was highlight the glaring weaknesses in his game. At his best, Rountree is a frightening muay Thai artist who can crumble his opponent with thudding strikes. However, Cory Hendricks and Andrew Sanchez exposed his complete lack of a ground game, with Tyson Pedro following suit shortly after the season. From there, it has been nothing but a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Impressive wins over Daniel Jolly and Paul Craig gave way to a bout in which Michal Oleksiejczuk exposed Rountree’s inability to pace himself. A shocking knockout of Gokhan Saki was followed by a shocking loss to Johnny Walker. In his latest bout, Rountree suddenly adopted a much more prominent muay Thai style to viciously pick apart Eryk Anders. It remains uncertain where this latest shift in Rountree’s career will lead, but thankfully, the answer should come soon, as Cutelaba is more than willing to force the issue.
Moldova’s Cutelaba is still just 25, so there is some time for him to figure out things, but thus far, he has just fought like an absolute madman. It has been effective -- there is some skill behind his aggressive exterior -- but it probably has not been the best use of Cutelaba’s resources, as for every quick knockout, there is a fight where he finds himself gassed by the second round. Cutelaba’s last fight, an April tilt against Glover Teixeira, basically laid everything on the table. He came out early and nearly finished Teixeira multiple times, only to get taken down and submitted as soon as the fight spilled into the second frame. However, it still feels like the breakthrough win for Cutelaba is on the horizon, and a victory over Rountree would quickly put “The Hulk” back on the right path.
This is an interesting test for Rountree, as Cutelaba should be more willing to press the issue than Anders. Cutelaba is there to be hit, and Rountree should be able to hit him. At the same time, that may not matter if Cutelaba can either force Rountree into retreat or take things to the floor. Based off the Anders fight, Rountree looks much more composed and flashed some decent takedown defense in the few moments he needed it. Combine those factors with Cutelaba’s poor gas tank, and it looks as though as long as Rountree survives the first few minutes of the fight, he should be able to take over and break down “The Hulk.” The pick is Rountree via third-round stoppage.
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