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 startling confession about his next opponent.

Blaydes suffered a devastating first-round knockout loss in his interim heavyweight title fight against Tom Aspinall at UFC 304. Now, the 34-year-old is gearing up for his return to the octagon at UFC 313.

Meanwhile, Kuniev was last seen on a Dana White's Contender Series (DWCS) card in August 2024 against Hugo Cunha, where he secured an impressive TKO victory in the first round. Before this, he earned a dominant win against Renan Ferreira under the PFL banner, which was later overturned to a No Contest after he tested positive for banned substances.

Kuniev is not yet a big name in MMA. However, a win over Blaydes, an established veteran, will surely be a statement for the rest of the division.

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Blaydes revealed that he was unaware of who Kuniev was before accepting the bout and had to Google him for information. He also stated that he has only watched one of the Dagestani’s fights.

He said:

“I did [a double take] but like I always say, the money’s the same regardless if it’s Jon Jones or if it’s a debut guy. The money’s the same so I’ll always be down. I had to Google him. I watched his fight on The Contender [Series], that’s really the only fight of his I watched. He looks like your traditional heavyweight — swings heavy and hopes to knock you out early.”

Check out Curtis Blaydes's comments below (2:16):

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Curtis Blaydes is not concerned about Rizvan Kuniev’s alleged use of performance enhancing substances

Curtis Blaydes is well aware of Rizvan Kuniev’s past issues due to the use of banned substances. In the aforementioned interview, Blaydes asserted that even if Kuniev is using PEDs, it wouldn’t make a difference in the fight.

He said:

“Even if he is on some stuff, I don’t believe it’s going to help him with his sprawling or help him take a punch. I’m all right with it, even if he is on some stuff.”[3:43]