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No. 5-ranked UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes will welcome Rizvan Kuniev to the octagon this weekend at UFC Baku live from Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. The three-round heavyweight showdown between Blaydes and Kuniev goes down right before the co-main event, which features a lightweight clash between Rafael Fiziev and Ignacio Bahamondes.
Blaydes has been knocked out in two of his last three UFC outings. In 2023, 'Razor' suffered a first-round TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich and then returned to winning ways by scoring a second-round TKO against Jailton Almeida at UFC 299.
However, in his next outing, at UFC 304, against interim champion Tom Aspinall, Blaydes was knocked out by Aspinall in round one. This weekend at UFC Baku, he will be looking to rebound from the devastating loss and get back into title contention.
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On the other side, Kuniev (12-2-1) secured a spot on the roster after earning a round one knockout over Hugo Cunha on 'Dana White's Contender Series' in 2024.
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Previously, Kuniev had also won on 'DWCS' in 2021, but didn't earn a UFC contract. However, this weekend, being featured on the main card vs. Blaydes, the Russian will be looking to register a win to start with a bang.
UFC Baku coverage begins on Saturday, June 21, at 12:00 pm ET on ESPN+ and ESPN 2. The main card is scheduled to start at 3 pm ET on ABC and ESPN+.
Round 1
Blaydes puts pressure early in the round and takes Kuniev down, pressuring him against the fence. Not much action in the first minute of the fight. Blaydes takes down Kuniev a second time. A slow start to this heavyweight bout indeed.
Kuniev lands a few uppercuts. However, Blaydes is maintaining the distance and not taking much risk. Kuniev pressures Blaydes to go on the back foot. Kuniev lands more shots.
Blaydes tries another takedown in the final seconds but fails.
Our Score: 10-8 Blaydes
Round 2
Blaydes tries to take down Kuniev again but does not succeed. Both fighters are maintaining distance at the moment and not committing.
Kuniev tries to land an uppercut to stop his opponent from shooting another takedown. Kuniev is landing big shots at the moment, and looks like he has found his rhythm. Kuniev lands a good combination, and so does Blaydes.
Blaydes seems to be more gassed out at the moment. He tries another faint takedown but fails. Kuniev fires back and stuns Blaydes. Kuniev lands another flying knee and a right.
Blaydes is trying to get the momentum back on his side.
Our Score: 10-8 Kuniev
Round 3
The final round starts, and Kuniev looks fresher. He tries to pressure Blaydes backward. Kuniev catches Blaydes with a right knee, stunning him. However, Blaydes survives.
Blaydes is trying to take Kuniev down. Two minutes left on the clock. The action seems even less in round three at the moment.
With 90 seconds left, Kuniev lands some combinations. Last few seconds. Kuniev almost knocks out Blaydes, but the latter survives.
Our Score: 10-9 Kuniev (27-28 overall)
Official result: Blaydes beats Kuniev by split decision.
