Rizvan Kuniev Ready for Blaydes, Willing to Welcome Ngannou Back

Making his octagon debut at UFC Baku this weekend is heavyweight Rizvan Kuniev, a former PFL standout who has landed a big fish for his coming out party in the UFC.

Kuniev (13-2-1, 1NC) is paired up with Curtis Blaydes, who last fought for an interim title opposite Tom Aspinall in July of 2024. It’s the kind of fight Kuniev has been calling for since prior to signing with the UFC, and now, he has a chance to put his money where his mouth is.

“I was always saying that I was ready to fight anybody in the top 10, top 5. This is a big opportunity for me to fight somebody multi-faceted, so good, so high-ranked,” Kuniev noted during the UFC Baku media day. “For me this is a great opportunity to come out and show that everything I said before, that I’m ready for the top 10, top 5, is actually true.”

Blaydes has suggested that if it was his debut, he wouldn’t want to fight himself. “I think that he’s mistaken. I think I’ve had fighters and opponents that are tougher than him,” Kuniev said in response. The Dagestani heavyweight holds wins over Hugo Cunha and UFC alum Anthony Hamilton. “I think that this Saturday with God’s help, I’ll make sure to do everything I can to finish the fight early so he knows what I mean.”

Rizvan Kuniev also touched on carrying on the legacy of Dagestani MMA. “We have legends in the sport such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, they’re lightweight champions that left a huge legacy behind themselves.” He’d go on to mention another fighter from the region, Magomed Anaklaev, “who is a newly crowned light heavyweight champion. Being from Dagestan, and representing that region, I understand how much pressure is on me. I feel that pressure and I think I will do whatever I can to show myself and prove myself in the promotion, to continue the legacy of Dagestani fighters.”

Kuniev is nothing if not open to big fights. Aside from welcoming the bout with Blaydes, he’s also down for welcoming Francis Ngannou back to the UFC, should that move ever transpire. Ngannou’s coach, Eric Nicksick, recently expressed interest in “The Predator” moving back to his old fighting home.

“Back when I was fighting in the PFL, he signed a contract in the PFL and I said that I was happy to have him in that promotion because I was happy to welcome him to that promotion and have a fight him there,” Kuniev recalled. “But now that there’s talks of him potentially coming to the UFC, again I’m happy to be the guy to welcome him back. I think that it would be a great fight and I told you be before, I’m ready for such challenges. I’m ready, I’m prepared, and I’ll be happy to be the one to welcome Francis back to UFC if he happens to sign.”

Watch the full UFC Baku media day appearance by Rizvan Kuniev above.