Rizvan Kuniev (born March 10, 1992) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist competing in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC). As of June 24, 2025, he is #15 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Kuniev would start his career on a 9-2-1 run with his only losses coming to

Darko Stošić Darko Stošić (; born February 9, 1992) is a Serbian mixed martial artist currently fighting for Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW) in the heavyweight division. He is the former Final Fight Championship (FFC) heavyweight champion and he also compete ...

and Justin Willis. Kuniev would then compete for the

Eagle FC Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), commonly referred to as Eagle FC, is a Russian mixed martial arts promotion company established in 2020 by former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. It was renamed to Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC ...

Heavyweight title against Vladimir Dainenko at Eagle FC 31 winning the fight by corner stoppage. 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 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

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. Kuniev would then sign for the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

for their 2023 season. Kuniev started by going up against Renan Ferreira on April 7, 2023, at PFL 2. Kuniev initially won the fight by unanimous decision, but the result was changed to a no contest when he failed a drug test.

Dana White's Contender Series

Kuniev was then booked to compete on Week 2 of Season 8 of

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been mov ...

on August 20, 2024, against Hugo Cunha. He won the fight via first round knockout and was awarded a contract by

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who is the CEO and president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at . Out ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Kuniev was scheduled to make his UFC debut against

Curtis Blaydes Curtis Lionell Blaydes (born February 18, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, Blaydes formerly competed ...

on February 22, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 252. However, the bout was moved to March 8, 2025 at

UFC 313 ''UFC 313: Pereira vs. Ankalaev '' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 8, 2025, at T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States. Background A U ...

for unknown reasons. A few hours before the event took place, Blaydes withdrew due to an undisclosed illness and the bout was scrapped. The bout was rescheduled for May 17, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 256. In turn, the bout was moved once again and eventually took place on June 21, 2025 at UFC on ABC 8. Kuniev lost the fight by split decision.

Mixed martial arts record

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References