MMA Guru picked Curtis Blaydes to smash Rizvan Kuniev by ground-and-pound stoppage. He hammered Kuniev’s history of popping for four distinct anabolic steroids after the Henan Ferreira fight and questioned whether the UFC’s new, quieter testing protocol can keep similar cheats out. Even setting PED worries aside, Guru sees a massive experience gap: Blaydes has shared the cage with top-5 heavyweights and just neutralized Jailton Almeida’s vaunted wrestling, whereas Kuniev ‘looked like a fat blob’ in that grinding win over Ferreira. Guru doubts Kuniev can finish Blaydes—his own striking is plodding and his submission game hasn’t been tested against elite wrestlers—so the underdog would need a three-round grind that virtually nobody pulls off against Blaydes. Expect Blaydes to either hurt Kuniev on the feet or hit an early takedown, settle into half-guard, and drop elbows until the referee waves it off.

Monk forecasted a throwback performance from $9.1K Curtis Blaydes, predicting a barrage of takedowns and top-time against DWCS graduate Rizvan Kuniev. Blaydes has not completed a takedown in his last six bouts but previously mauled Alexander Volkov for 14 takedowns and 20 minutes of control. Monk expects a similar script, noting Blaydes historically attempts at least one shot against every Russian he faces and that Kuniev—as shown by Hugo Kunya stuffing six gimpy attempts—has untested defensive wrestling at the UFC level. Blaydes wins average 108 DK points by finish and 105 by decision; Monk projects a 125-plus score here thanks to ground strikes and advances. With the fight –150 to end inside the distance and Kuniev just $7.1K, Monk will keep minimal hedge exposure in case Blaydes’ chin betrays him, but he is treating Blaydes as an all-format cornerstone and even parlaying him with Melissa Mullins at roughly even money.

Dan Tom backed Curtis Blaydes on the money-line, arguing that Rizvan Kuniev’s resume is propped up by soft competition and first-round submissions over fading veterans. Kuniev has been out-muscled before—dropping fights to undersized opponents like Justin Willis and Darko Stosic—and Tom doubts that approach works against a true heavyweight wrestler who averages 6.03 takedowns per 15 minutes. He also dismissed Kuniev’s No-Contest with Henan Ferreira and quick choke of a 38-year-old Anthony Hamilton as meaningful data points. While Tom conceded Blaydes ‘can still fumble the ball’ and briefly considered the Under 1.5 due to heavyweight variance, he ultimately passed on totals because he “hates unders” and sees Blaydes’ size-plus-grappling advantage cashing more often than not. His betting card: Blaydes straight, no parlay legs, no prop exposure.

Madlab Michael Lurato urged DFS players to slap caution tape on Curtis Blaydes’ $9,100 DraftKings salary, pointing to a dramatic drop-off in his trademark takedown production. After racking up a ridiculous 14 takedowns against Alexander Volkov in 2020, Blaydes has recorded only three takedowns total across five subsequent appearances. Lurato argued that the market still prices Blaydes as a wrestling cheat-code even though recent film shows more first-round firefights than grind-heavy game plans. He highlighted Rizvan Kuniev’s naturally thick frame—huge calves, wrists, and quads—as the kind of somatotype that neutralizes clinch entries by centering weight and making opponents carry him. On tape Kuniev reversed position on heavy grapplers like Ante Delija and smothered them against the fence, a style that could sap Blaydes’ cardio while limiting scoring opportunities. Blaydes’ questionable fight IQ and shaky chin (four KO/TKO losses) leave room for volatility, so Lurato prefers punting Kuniev at $7,100 in large-field GPPs or, at minimum, avoiding Blaydes in cash builds. He still picks Blaydes to win but calls Kuniev “very live” and warns that overweight exposure to Blaydes could nuke DFS lineups if the wrestler again falls in love with his hands or gets stalled on the cage.

Kyzer Del Busto singled out the Curtis Blaydes KO/TKO prop at +125 as his favorite way to attack the heavyweight debut of Rizvan Kuniev. Del Busto leaned on the same data Gumby cited earlier—Blaydes’ 6.0 takedowns per 15 minutes, +1.6 significant-strike differential and 13 career finishes by ground-and-pound—but emphasized the betting angle: books are still hanging plus money even though Blaydes has stopped four of his last six wins with elbows from half-guard. Kuniev’s UFC sample is limited and the Russian’s lone PFL fight was erased for PEDs, making Del Busto question how the 30-year-old will look in a post-USADA world. With Blaydes owning a four-inch reach edge and the cardio to wrestle for 15 minutes, Del Busto expects repeated doubles, heavy top pressure and a referee stoppage once the punches add up, turning +125 into a value ticket.

Gumby said Curtis Blaydes is still the heavyweight gatekeeper you have to be special to beat. He pointed out that nobody outside of Jelton Almeida has been able to out-wrestle Blaydes, and even then Blaydes still had the gas tank to finish the second round. Blaydes averages 6.02 takedowns per 15 minutes, carries a +1.63 striking differential, and – unlike most big men – never looks winded. Rizvan Kuniev’s eye-popping striking stats (+4.57 per minute) were compiled against Contender-Series talent and come with an asterisk: the Russian’s lone PFL appearance was overturned for a steroid pop. Gumby posted before-and-after photos of Kuniev on Twitter and said the post-USADA version is visibly softer and slower. Blaydes owns a four-inch reach edge, is a former JUCO national champ, and has finished 13 of 18 wins with ground-and-pound. With Kuniev’s cardio already questionable and no proven success against elite heavyweights, Gumby expects Blaydes to hit early doubles, ride from half-guard, and overwhelm the debutant en route to a late TKO or lopsided decision at –250.

Millz Young backed Curtis Blaydes in the rescheduled heavyweight matchup, emphasizing Blaydes’ record-setting takedown ability, five-round cardio, and vastly superior strength of schedule. He acknowledged Rizvan Kuniev’s equalizer power but noted Blaydes hasn’t chased wrestling in recent fights and expects him to return to that bread-and-butter here. If Blaydes chains takedowns, Millz sees a relatively straightforward decision or late ground-and-pound stoppage.

Bedtime MMA declared the booking of top-five staple Curtis Blaydes against the "random fat Russian" Grisvan Kuniev a mismatch of historic proportions and advised hammering Blaydes inside-the-distance. He highlighted Blaydes’ elite blend of Division-I caliber wrestling, heavy elbows from half-guard, and underrated boxing that separates him from 90 % of the heavyweight roster. Conversely, no one—including his own industry contacts or Chael Sonnen—could tell him why Kuniev, a hairy regional brawler who “looks like a Batman Arkham City goon,” secured this fight. Bedtime foresees Kuniev charging into a clinch, only to be mat-returned and brutalized—similar to the Justin Willis or Shamil Abdurakhimov beatdowns. The recommended angle is Blaydes KO/TKO, with a sprinkle on Round 2 if books post it, because ground-and-pound stoppage feels inevitable once Razor gains top position.