Rizvan Kuniev
| Rizvan Kuniev | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rizvan Kuniev March 10, 1992 Dagestan, Russia |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb) |
| Division | Heavyweight |
| Reach | 76 in (190 cm) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Fighting out of | Makhachkala, Russia |
| Team | Gorets FT |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 17 |
| Wins | 12 |
| By knockout | 6 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 4 |
| Losses | 3 |
| By decision | 3 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 1 |
| Other information | |
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Rizvan Kuniev (born March 10, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of June 24, 2025, he is #15 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings.[1]
Mixed martial arts career
[edit]Early career
[edit]Kuniev would start his career on a 9-2-1 run with his only losses coming to Darko Stošić and Justin Willis.
Kuniev would then compete for the Eagle FC Heavyweight title against Vladimir Dainenko at Eagle FC 31 winning the fight by corner stoppage.[2]
Kuniev then made his Contender Series debut against Edivan Santos on September 28, 2021. He won via third round stoppage, but didn't get a contract with the UFC[3]
After competing on Contender Series, Kuniev would defend his Eagle FC Heavyweight title against UFC veteran Anthony Hamilton at Eagle FC 46 on March 11, 2022. He would win the fight via guillotine choke in the first round.[4]
Kuniev would then sign for the Professional Fighters League for their 2023 season. Kuniev started by going up against Renan Ferreira on April 7, 2023, at PFL 2.[5] Kuniev initially won the fight by unanimous decision, but the result was changed to a no contest when he failed a drug test.[6][7]
Dana White's Contender Series
[edit]Kuniev was then booked to compete on Week 2 of Season 8 of Dana White's Contender Series on August 20, 2024, against Hugo Cunha.[8] He won the fight via first round knockout and was awarded a contract by Dana White.[9]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
[edit]Kuniev was scheduled to make his UFC debut against Curtis Blaydes on February 22, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 252.[10] However, the bout was moved to March 8, 2025 at UFC 313 for unknown reasons.[11] A few hours before the event took place, Blaydes withdrew due to an undisclosed illness and the bout was scrapped.[12] The bout was rescheduled for May 17, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 256.[13] In turn, the bout was moved once again and eventually took place on June 21, 2025 at UFC on ABC 8.[14] Kuniev lost the fight by split decision.[15]
Mixed martial arts record
[edit]| 17 matches | 12 wins | 3 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| By decision | 4 | 3 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| No contests | 1 | |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 12–3–1 (1) | Curtis Blaydes | Decision (split) | UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr. | June 21, 2025 | 3 | 5:00 | Baku, Azerbaijan | |
| Win | 12–2–1 (1) | Hugo Cunha | TKO (knee to the body and punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 68 | August 20, 2024 | 1 | 4:59 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| NC | 11–2–1 (1) | Renan Ferreira | NC (overturned) | PFL 2 (2023) | April 7, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Originally a unanimous decision win for Kuniev; overturned after he tested positive for banned substances. |
| Win | 11–2–1 | Anthony Hamilton | Submission (guillotine choke) | Eagle FC 46 | March 11, 2022 | 1 | 1:17 | Miami, Florida, United States | Defended the Eagle FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 10–2–1 | Edivan Mineiro Santos | TKO (punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 41 | September 28, 2021 | 3 | 1:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 9–2–1 | Vladimir Daineko | TKO (corner stoppage) | Eagle FC 31 | December 19, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Nizhny Novgorod, Russia | Defended the Eagle FC Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–2–1 | Ruud Vernooij | Decision (unanimous) | Eagles FC: Next Level | February 15, 2020 | 3 | 5:00 | Ciorescu, Moldova | |
| Win | 7–2–1 | Shamil Abasov | TKO (punches) | Gorilla Fighting 16 | August 30, 2019 | 3 | 4:53 | Astrakhan, Russia | Won the GF Heavyweight Championship. |
| Win | 6–2–1 | Navid Yadegari | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Gorets FC: For the Prizes of V. Zolotov | July 6, 2019 | 1 | 2:00 | Kaspiysk, Russia | |
| Win | 5–2–1 | José Agustin Jimenez | TKO (punches) | UMC 1 | June 2, 2018 | 1 | 2:35 | Monza, Italy | |
| Win | 4–2–1 | Konstantin Andreitsev | Decision (unanimous) | ProFC 64 | December 24, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Rostov-on-Don, Russia | 2017 ProFC Heavyweight Grand Prix Semifinal. |
| Win | 3–2–1 | Charles Andrade | Decision (unanimous) | ProFC 63 | September 10, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Rostov-on-Don, Russia | 2017 ProFC Heavyweight Grand Prix Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 2–2–1 | Justin Willis | Decision (majority) | Inoki Genome Fight 4 | August 29, 2015 | 2 | 5:00 | Tokyo, Japan | |
| Loss | 2–1–1 | Darko Stošić | Decision (unanimous) | Tesla FC 4 | June 14, 2014 | 3 | 5:00 | Pančevo, Serbia | |
| Win | 2–0–1 | Mikhail Istomin | TKO (punches) | Voronezh MMA Federation: Mixfight Cup 2012 | January 20, 2012 | 2 | N/A | Voronezh, Russia | |
| Draw | 1–0–1 | Ivan Gayvanovich | Draw (unanimous) | World MMA Federation: WMAC 2011 Finals | October 9, 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Yalta, Ukraine | |
| Win | 1–0 | Anatoli Ciumac | Decision (unanimous) | World MMA Federation: WMAC 2011 Semifinals | October 8, 2011 | 2 | 5:00 | Yalta, Ukraine | Heavyweight debut. |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". UFC.com. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
- ^ Colman, Gabriel (January 2, 2021). "Khabib Nurmagomedov's fighting promotion: Details emerge of first Eagle FC event of 2021". www.sportskeeda.com.
- ^ Stumberg, Patrick L. (2021-09-28). "LIVE! UFC 'Contender Series' Results, Streaming Play-By-Play Updates". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2023-09-27.
- ^ "Eagle FC 46 results: Kevin Lee powers through leg injury, defeats Diego Sanchez via decision". MMA Junkie.
- ^ Dwornik, Ardi (2023-02-27). "Professional Fighters League Announces Full Card For PFL 2: Heavyweights And Women's Featherweights". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
- ^ Sherdog.com. "PLive Now! 2023 PFL 2 Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-04-07.
- ^ "7 PFL fighters punished for drug tests; multiple bout results overturned". MMA Junkie. 2023-06-20. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
- ^ "DWCS week 2 preview and predictions: Israel Adesanya's teammate looks to earn a contract against undefeated prospect". bloodyelbow.com. August 20, 2024.
- ^ "DWCS 68 video: Rizvan Kuniev clobbers Hugo Cunha for first-round stoppage". MMA Junkie.
- ^ Alexander K. Lee (2024-12-13). "Curtis Blaydes' return set for UFC Seattle". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ^ Mike Bohn (2025-02-12). "Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev shifted from Seattle to UFC 313 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ^ Harvey Leonard (2025-03-08). "Two UFC 313 fights canceled hours before the event, including Curtis Blaydes' return". mmanews.com. Retrieved 2025-03-08.
- ^ Alexander Behunin (2025-03-11). "Third time's a charm? Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev rebooked for UFC Qatar on May 17". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2025-03-11.
- ^ Ryan Harkness (2025-03-26). "Fifth time's a charm? Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev moved (again) to Azerbaijan". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
- ^ Shawn Bitter (2025-06-21). "UFC Baku: Curtis Blaydes Takes Razor-Thin Decision Over Debuting Rizvan Kuniev". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
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Updated to 15 July 2025 | ||||||
