Rizvan Kuniev
Russia
Will fight in Abu Dhabi
Kuniev's heavyweight matchup against Tyrell Fortune has been moved to UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
This fight was originally scheduled for UFC Baku on June 27, but it's now been moved to the subsequent month. Kuniev's stop in the Top 10 in the heavyweight division will be on the line in this fight. He owns a 1-1 record in UFC, losing to Curtis Blaydes on June 21, 2025, and defeating Jailton Almeida on Feb. 7, 2026.
This fight was originally scheduled for UFC Baku on June 27, but it's now been moved to the subsequent month. Kuniev's stop in the Top 10 in the heavyweight division will be on the line in this fight. He owns a 1-1 record in UFC, losing to Curtis Blaydes on June 21, 2025, and defeating Jailton Almeida on Feb. 7, 2026.
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Gets Fortune in Baku
Kuniev will take on Tyrell Fortune in a heavyweight matchup at UFC Baku on June 27, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Kuniev picked up his first official UFC win last February over Jailton Almeida, but he didn't win many fans in the process, as the fight was a low-volume affair. He now draws Fortune, a heavyweight who racked up only 30 significant strikes himself in a 15-minute decision over Marcin Tybura last March. Kuniev has a solid 93 percent takedown defense through two UFC fights and two Contender Series appearances, so it's likely this one stays standing, where he has a slight volume advantage (over a small sample size). Kuniev's spot in the top-10 of the heavyweight rankings will be on the line here.
Kuniev picked up his first official UFC win last February over Jailton Almeida, but he didn't win many fans in the process, as the fight was a low-volume affair. He now draws Fortune, a heavyweight who racked up only 30 significant strikes himself in a 15-minute decision over Marcin Tybura last March. Kuniev has a solid 93 percent takedown defense through two UFC fights and two Contender Series appearances, so it's likely this one stays standing, where he has a slight volume advantage (over a small sample size). Kuniev's spot in the top-10 of the heavyweight rankings will be on the line here.
Wins snoozer from Jailton Almeida
Kuniev defeated Jailton Almeida via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Almeida catches a lot of flack for his inactivity and being one of the most boring fighters on the roster. That said, Kuniev isn't much better. Yes, he won here and did so easily, but he wasn't exactly impressive in the process. Kuniev stuffed all eight of Almeida's takedown attempts, and in the rare instance in which the latter opened up on the feet, Kuniev simply spun him to the fence and held on for dear life. Rizvan was credited with 6:35 worth of control time despite not attempting a single takedown. The 33-year-old Russian is massive and has to cut down to reach the 266-pound heavyweight limit. His power is mediocre, and he hasn't shown much through two UFC fights despite facing reasonable competition in Almeida and Curtis Blaydes (a split decision loss).
Almeida catches a lot of flack for his inactivity and being one of the most boring fighters on the roster. That said, Kuniev isn't much better. Yes, he won here and did so easily, but he wasn't exactly impressive in the process. Kuniev stuffed all eight of Almeida's takedown attempts, and in the rare instance in which the latter opened up on the feet, Kuniev simply spun him to the fence and held on for dear life. Rizvan was credited with 6:35 worth of control time despite not attempting a single takedown. The 33-year-old Russian is massive and has to cut down to reach the 266-pound heavyweight limit. His power is mediocre, and he hasn't shown much through two UFC fights despite facing reasonable competition in Almeida and Curtis Blaydes (a split decision loss).
Gets new opponent
Kuniev will now take on Jailton Almeida in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 113 on Feb. 7, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Kuniev was initially slated to take on Ryan Spann, but the latter was forced to pull out of the bout for currently undisclosed reasons. Now, Kuniev will face Almeida, who steps in on short notice, and will still be looking for his first win in the UFC.
Kuniev was initially slated to take on Ryan Spann, but the latter was forced to pull out of the bout for currently undisclosed reasons. Now, Kuniev will face Almeida, who steps in on short notice, and will still be looking for his first win in the UFC.
Facing Spann in February
Kuniev will take on Ryan Spann in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Vegas 113 on Feb. 7, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Kuniev lost his lone UFC bout to Curtis Blaydes via split decision back in June. Now, he'll get his second chance in the Octagon against a much more experienced fighter in Spann, who currently sits at 9-6 in the UFC.
Kuniev lost his lone UFC bout to Curtis Blaydes via split decision back in June. Now, he'll get his second chance in the Octagon against a much more experienced fighter in Spann, who currently sits at 9-6 in the UFC.
Excellent effort in debut loss
Kuniev lost to Curtis Blaydes via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 28-29) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Baku, Azerbaijan.
ANALYSIS
It was an excellent showing from Kuniev in his official UFC debut, and no one would have been shocked in the least if the scorecards ended up going in his favor. Facing an elite wrestler in Blaydes, Kuniev stuffed 13-of-15 takedown attempts. He displayed terrific balance and athleticism in remaining upright over and over. Kuniev was also the more effective man on the feet in terms of damaging blows landed, although Blaydes won the significant strike count by a 56-45 mark. Kuniev doesn't have one elite skill to fall back upon in the event of trouble, but he's pretty good everywhere and has proven to be durable, having never been finished in his professional career. That's enough to make some waves in a thin heavyweight division at this point.
It was an excellent showing from Kuniev in his official UFC debut, and no one would have been shocked in the least if the scorecards ended up going in his favor. Facing an elite wrestler in Blaydes, Kuniev stuffed 13-of-15 takedown attempts. He displayed terrific balance and athleticism in remaining upright over and over. Kuniev was also the more effective man on the feet in terms of damaging blows landed, although Blaydes won the significant strike count by a 56-45 mark. Kuniev doesn't have one elite skill to fall back upon in the event of trouble, but he's pretty good everywhere and has proven to be durable, having never been finished in his professional career. That's enough to make some waves in a thin heavyweight division at this point.