Billy Ward said he is upping both his betting and DFS exposure to Ion Cutelaba after hearing Sean Zerillo’s breakdown. Ward agreed that Bukauskas’s traditional karate base and preference for open-space kicking falls apart when a bully marches him backward. He reminded listeners that Bukauskas blew out his knee versus Khalil Rountree and has looked reluctant to grapple ever since. Cutelaba’s relentless forward pressure and clinch-heavy wrestling game are tailor-made to smother that style, creating huge early‐round scoring upside on DraftKings. Ward expects Cutelaba to rack up takedowns and ground-and-pound and is comfortable betting the moneyline around –110 while sprinkling the inside-the-distance prop at +130. If Bukauskas somehow survives the opening blitz, Ward will consider a live hedge on the lanky Brit, but pre-fight he wants Cutelaba anchored on his DFS core lineups.

Sean Zerillo named Ion Cutelaba –110 as his best bet, stressing the Moldovan’s relentless pressure and wrestling edge historically trouble lanky kickers like Modestas Bukauskas. Zerillo cited Bukauskas’ struggles whenever opponents close distance—knockout losses to Khalil Rountree, Vitor Petrino and Michal Oleksiejczuk—and believes Cutelaba can replicate that blueprint. Tape shows Cutelaba now carries at least 10 competitive minutes after pacing himself versus Even Erslan, giving him a path to win a 29-28 if the finish does not come. Zerillo will pair the moneyline with "fight ends inside the distance" (–220) or under 2.5 rounds (–164) to juice the payout and plans to live-bet Bukauskas only if he survives the early storm and Cutelaba fades. He projects Cutelaba 60% to win, with 70% of those wins coming inside the first two rounds.

Cody Saftic recommended grabbing the slight plus-money on Ion Cutelaba, arguing the Moldovan still wields the two most bankable win conditions here—fight-ending power and chain wrestling. Saftic reminded listeners that Cutelaba rag-dolled Dustin Jacoby seven times and just logged nine minutes of top control against Ivan Erslan, hinting at a new, more mature approach. Bukauskas has been finished in five of his six pro losses and even Tyson Pedro landed two of three takedowns on him, so Saftic doubts the Lithuanian can survive both a bum-rush and the inevitable body-lock ride. If Cutelaba secures two early rounds, Saftic trusts his toughness to coast home; if the left hook lands clean, the ticket cashes even faster. At +102 he called it a classic dog-or-pass scenario and planted his flag on the dog.

Bedtime MMA is riding "The Hulk" Cutelaba, predicting a TKO over Modestas Bukauskas within two rounds. His rule of thumb: Cutelaba beats anyone outside the top-15 and loses to ranked talent. Bukauskas, who Bedtime calls a fringe, unranked light-heavyweight with a suspect chin and poor pressure coping skills, fits the former category. Expect Cutelaba to bulldoze forward, force Bukauskas’ head high, duck under a big strike for a takedown, and unleash trademark ground-and-pound. He emphasized Cutelaba is still only 31—“entering his prime”—and that stylistically Bukauskas lacks the wrestling defense or KO power to flip the script.

MMA Guru urged bettors to take Ion Cutelaba as a slight underdog and sprinkle the inside-the-distance prop, predicting a stoppage in the first 7–8 minutes. He argued Modestas Bukauskas’ surgically rebuilt knee—shredded by Khalil Rountree’s oblique kick and followed by multiple ligament repairs—will not hold up once Cutelaba forces clinch trips and single-leg takedowns. Guru noted Bukauskas often shells on the fence when pressured and needs time to settle before finding his jab; Cutelaba’s trademark blitz removes that runway. The Moldovan has scored a finish in six of his last eight wins and has mauling top-control that historically melted strikers without elite hips, as seen in his domination of Rountree. Given Bukauskas’ 43 % UFC takedown-defense rate and tendency to absorb 3.9 significant strikes per minute, Guru sees either a ground-and-pound TKO or a club-and-sub before the midpoint of Round 2.

MMA Guru took the PrizePicks “under 9 minutes” line on Ion Cutelaba’s fight, labeling the Moldovan a classic finish-or-be-finished brawler. Cutelaba’s last eight UFC appearances have all ended inside 9:00, six of them inside the first round. Guru said the light-heavyweight’s blitzing style leaves huge defensive gaps, so either Cutelaba lands his early kill-shot or gets clipped himself. Given that historical trend and Cutelaba’s 86 % career finish rate, Guru believes the safest angle is the quick-finish prop rather than picking a side.