Rizvan Kuniev

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 July 25, 2026, he is #5 in the Meta 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 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.

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

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

Ultimate Fighting Championship Kuniev was scheduled to make his UFC debut against Curtis Blaydes on February 22, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 252. However, the bout was moved to March 8, 2025 at UFC 313 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. 11 out of 13 media sources scored the fight in favor of Kuniev.

Kuniev was scheduled to face Ryan Spann on February 7, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 266. However, Spann withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Jailton Almeida. Kuniev won the fight by unanimous decision.

Kuniev was scheduled to face Tyrell Fortune on June 27, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 280. However, for undisclosed reasons, the bout was moved to July 25, 2026 and took place at UFC Fight Night 282. Kuniev won the fight by technical knockout via knees in the second round. This fight earned him a $100,000 Fight of the Night award.

Kuniev is scheduled to face Alexander Volkov on October 24, 2026 at UFC 333.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight of the Night (One time)

Mixed martial arts record

|NC |align=center|11–2–1 (1) |Renan Ferreira |NC (overturned) |PFL 2 (2023) | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

|Win |align=center|5–2–1 |José Agustin Jimenez |TKO (punches) |UMC 1 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:35 |Monza, Italy

Rizvan Kuniev

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