Rizvan Kuniev

Russia

Debut in jeopardy
HeavyweightUFC
November 20, 2024
Kuniev will no longer fight Martin Buday (undisclosed) at UFC 310 on Dec. 7, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Buday was forced to withdraw from the fight for unknown reasons, leaving Kuniev without an opponent just two weeks before the event. If a replacement for Buday isn't found in the near future, Kuniev will be forced to wait a bit longer before making his first appearance in the UFC.
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UFC debut scheduled
HeavyweightUFC
October 24, 2024
Kuniev is scheduled to compete against fellow heavyweight Martin Buday at UFC 310 in Paradise on Dec. 7, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
Kuniev defeated Hugo Cunha in just under five minutes in Dana White's Contender Series to earn a UFC contract. For the newest signing's first test, he gets Buday, who outlasted former UFC Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski in a relatively mundane fight. Ideally for Kuniev, he can push the pace a lot during his debut and come up victorious.
First-round TKO earns contract
HeavyweightUFC
August 21, 2024
Kuniev defeated Hugo Cunha via TKO (punches) at 4:59 of Round 1 at Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series. After the show, he was one of four fighters to be awarded an official UFC contract.
ANALYSIS
Kuniev did exactly what was expected of him as a betting favorite in the ballpark of (-575), but you can only fight who they put in front of you, and Kuniev disposed of that opponent in short order, only absorbing three significant strikes in the process. The 31-year-old heavyweight last competed under the banner of PFL, where he beat Renan Ferreira (who is about to fight Francis Ngannou for a title), but that win was later changed to a no-contest after testing positive for a banned substance. White doesn't typically go for that type of baggage, so the issue must have been cleared up, or it could just be a matter of an immediate need for heavyweights on the roster.