Light Heavyweight Return Results in Rekindled Relevance for Philipe Lins

A move to American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, altered the trajectory of Philipe Lins’ career as a professional mixed martial artist. He won a $1 million Professional Fighters League tournament at 205 pounds roughly a year later in 2018, then signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship as a heavyweight in order to prove himself at the sport’s highest level.

“It was a high point in my career,” Lins told Sherdog.com.

However, there was no honeymoon period in the UFC. Lins was greeted by back-to-back defeats to Andrei Arlovski and Tanner Boser, forcing him to recalibrate his position.

“A red light went off,” he said. “I needed to change something. I sat down with my coaches and manager. We made a good decision in having me drop back down to light heavyweight. I have a much healthier lifestyle now. I feel so much better. I’m more focused back at my original weight class.”

Lins will carry a four-fight winning streak into his latest assignment, as he meets Ion Cutelaba in the featured UFC Fight Night 229 prelim on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Cutelaba, 29, has become known for his live-by-the-sword-die-by-the-sword approach across his 15 appearances in the UFC. The rugged Moldovan last competed on April 15, when he put away Boser with punches a little more than two minutes into their UFC on ESPN 44 encounter.

“He’s tough and experienced,” Lins said. “He’s faced great fighters in our weight class. I can’t wait to step into the cage to face him. Without a doubt, it will be an exciting fight for the fans. He likes to strike, and so do I. This fight has all the right ingredients: gasoline and fire. Everyone knows what happens when those two come together. I can’t wait for us to bang it out. I have all the respect for him and for his career, but it’s my time to shine. I’m ready for this challenge.”

The 38-year-old Lins hopes to build on his momentum and move forward in the light heavyweight division. He last fought at UFC on ESPN 46, where he took a three-round unanimous decision from former World Fighting Championship Akhmat titleholder Maxim Grishin on June 3. Lins understands it will all be for naught if he fails to get past Cutelaba.

“We’ll have an excellent clash,” he said. “Everything is there for one of the best fights of the night. I can hardly wait. I’m very well prepared. I’ll step into the cage and let the monster loose. Hopefully, this will be yet another victory.”