Rizvan Kuniev bagged his second win in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, getting his hand raised at UFC Abu Dhabi, but he isn’t entirely content with his performance.
Kuniev secured a finish against Tyrell Fortune at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. The back-and-forth heavyweight clash was later awarded Fight of the Night, with both heavyweights having their moments before the third-round stoppage.
Rizvan Kuniev reflects on mistakes after Tyrell Fortune stoppage at UFC Abu Dhabi
Fortune (18-4) proved to be a solid test for the Russian, who eventually landed two back-to-back knees to prompt the referee to intervene. Despite finding a finish, Kuniev (14-3) later admitted that he expects more from himself moving forward, especially considering his championship aspirations.
“Of course I made some mistakes,” Kuniev said in a post-fight interview. “Because I rushed sometimes too fast into the fight, but we will work it out and as my coach said, I’m on top now. Top 15, you know. And you cannot make mistakes at this level if you want to be a champion.”
Kuniev is now 2-1 in the UFC after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. He lost his Octagon debut to former title challenger Curtis Blaydes before returning to winning ways against Jailton Almeida.
