It seems like UFC CEO Dana White is hellbent on materializing one particular heavyweight matchup, which has been canceled twice this year. Reports have emerged that he’s setting up a clash between former title challenger Curtis Blaydes and newbie Rizvan Kuniev for a third time. However, fans don’t seem to agree with White’s decision to go ahead with this matchup because they sense some degree of unfairness.
After eight years of fighting in Dana White’s promotion, Curtis Blaydes finally got his chance to win gold at UFC 304, but got stopped right in his tracks under a minute. Tom Aspinall retained his interim title that night by knocking ‘Razor’ out, but Blaydes is ready to go back to the drawing board and make the climb once again. However, no one expected the 34-year-old to get paired up with a newbie given that he’s a perennial top 10 contender.
Dana White first set up the Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev fight back in February at UFC Seattle, headlined by the now-controversial bout between Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong. However, the fight was postponed and shifted to a PPV card at UFC 313 for reasons unknown. But when the PPV arrived last weekend, Blaydes fell terribly ill due to norovirus, and pulled out claiming that his “body wouldn’t cooperate.”
Curtis Blaydes will take on Rizvan Kuniev at #UFCQatar on May 17th.
[first rep. @VestnikMMA] pic.twitter.com/oF8xaAn2f8
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 11, 2025
But Dana White is determined to make that fight happen, and a report from VestnikMMA alleges that Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev will fight on May 17 in Qatar. Meanwhile, the official word from the promotion is yet to be out, as things are yet to be finalized. However, fans are not overly fond of the matchup and have expressed their displeasure with White’s matchmaking. Let’s take a look at their reactions.
Is Dana White being ‘unfair’ to Curtis Blaydes? Fans weigh in
Dana White’s relentless effort in making this fight happen has one fan reiterating a famous quote on X – “Third times the charm I guess.” That reaction appears to be laced with a sense of uncertainty. But why, though? Well, it seems like the level of attention fans are giving this fight is scant. On that note, one fan commented, “Who cares?” Well, there seem to be a couple of reasons why fans don’t care enough about this fight.
First of all, Rizvan Kuniev drew the ire of the fans because of his past with drug test failures. In 2023, when Kuniev was fighting under the PFL banner, he faced suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for testing positive for multiple banned substances. Clearly, that incident is still alive in fans’ memories, and they believe Dana White is favoring him. A couple of fans stated, “F—ing ped cheat getting blaydes is disgusting,” and, “Gotta give this roid cheat all advantage,” in that regard.
Secondly, the fans have taken issue with the venue of the fight as Dana White is reportedly looking to schedule that fight for UFC Qatar. They believe that this is only helping Rizvan Kuniev, and the scoring could be partial in that fight. “They put Curtis in Qatar. Brutal robbery incoming,” a user on X stated. They also claim that it’s an unfair fight for Curtis Blaydes as another fan wondered, “What has Blaydes done to deserve this?” So is there any way for Curtis Blaydes to beat Rizvan Kuniev and avoid a second consecutive defeat? Well, fans advise ‘Razor’ to simply go for the kill to leave no doubts. “Gonna be unfair judges I’m predicting, Curtis better finish him,” another fan added,
Well, what do you have to say about this fight? Curtis Blaydes is pretty confident about beating a newcomer because he claims fighting an established UFC contender on debut may not be the best decision for Rizvan Kuniev. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
The post All Fans Are Saying the Same Thing as Dana White Books Controversial Fight for Curtis Blaydes at UFC Qatar appeared first on EssentiallySports.