Rizvan Kuniev - News & Rumors - UFC | FOX Sports

Taking on Volkov Kuniev will face Alexander Volkov in a heavyweight bout at UFC 333 on Oct. 24, Marcel Dorff of Heavy On Sports reports.

Impact Kuniev dominated with ease in his most recent bout, securing an easy TKO victory over Tyrell Fortune in his last bout at UFC Abu Dhabi in July this year. Kuniev owns a 2-1 record at UFC, but he'll have a tough assignment here since Volkov has won six of his last seven bouts while winning 40 fights as a pro in his career.

AUGUST 16 • ROTOWIRE

Pitches shutout of Tyrell Fortune Kuniev defeated Tyrell Fortune via TKO (knees) at 1:12 of Round 3 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

Impact Kuniev continues to impress, essentially pitching a shutout here against Fortune. He has a few things going for him. For starters, Kuniev is gigantic. Through three UFC fights, it's proven to be nearly impossible to outmuscle him at the point of attack. He's athletic for a big man and very good in the clinch. Kuniev was able to put Fortune away with repeated knees from in tight. At 34 years old, Kuniev should try to get back in the octagon as soon as possible considering how little damage he absorbed in this fight.

JULY 25 • ROTOWIRE

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.

Impact 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.

MAY 14 • ROTOWIRE

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.

Impact 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.

MAY 4 • ROTOWIRE

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.

Impact Almeida catches a lot of flack for his inactivity and being one of the most boring fighters on the roster. And he is. 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 (split decision loss).

FEBRUARY 8 • ROTOWIRE

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.

Impact 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.

JANUARY 20 • ROTOWIRE

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.

Impact 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.

DECEMBER 14, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

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.

Impact 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 terrifc 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.

JUNE 21, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

UFC newcomer Rizvan Kuniev sees Tom Aspinall as the 'true' heavyweight champion UFC newcomer Rizvan Kuniev sees Tom Aspinall as 'the true champion' of UFC heavyweight division, and not Jon Jones.

JUNE 19, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

Why was Curtis Blaydes' fight canceled at UFC 313? Explaining health condition that forced 'Razor' out of Alex Pereira vs. Magomed Ankalaev prelims Curtis Blaydes was scheduled to take on UFC debutant Rizvan Kuniev in the closing fight of the preliminary showcase of the UFC 313 pay-per-v...

MARCH 9, 2025 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM

Curtis Blaydes makes startling confession about Rizvan Kuniev ahead of their UFC 313 bout: "The only fight of his I watched" Curtis Blaydes is set to face UFC debutant Rizvan Kuniev at UFC 313 on March 8. Ahead of the much-anticipated fight, Blaydes has made a star...

MARCH 5, 2025 • SPORTSKEEDA.COM