Dana White and Co.’s first event in Azerbaijan, UFC Baku, is just days away, but there seems to be some disagreement in the MMA community. There are a couple of heavyweight fights on the card, and fans have problems with a couple of the fighters who are in those fights. It looks like the fighters’ past doping violations have upset a lot of people.
It’s not common for fighters to be linked to doping violations, but it’s not new in the world of combat sports, especially in the 30-plus years that Dana White’s promotion has been around. An MMA fan with the username “Elonov” on X pointed out that Rizvan Kuniev and Hamdy Abdelwahab have both failed drug tests in the past. They are set to fight Curtis Blaydes and Mohammed Usman, respectively.
Hamdy Abdelwahab had previously failed two drug tests, with the first one happening during UFC 277, when he fought Don’Tale Mayes. The second one happened a month later when USADA approached him for an out-of-competition drug test, which he failed as well. Reports claim that he’s been caught for the use of metenolone and its metabolite on both occasions. However, it’s Rizvan Kuniev’s case that has raised the alarms, as Dana White gave him a big matchup.
Rizvan Kuniev had once failed a drug test and was caught for the use of multiple banned substances. This was after his fight against Renan Ferreira in the PFL, which he won. But after the test results, the result of that fight was overturned, as Kuniev got slapped with a year’s suspension and a fine of over $9,000. But now, as he gears up for his UFC debut at UFC Baku, Dana White has given him a top 5 opponent.
Just a reminder that Rizvan Kuniev who is fighting this weekend, popped for PED’s 2 fights ago in the PFL. Now he is getting a #5 ranked opponent in his UFC debut… pic.twitter.com/adAGe1318b
— Elonov (@ElonovMMA) June 18, 2025
The fans had a lot to say here. They not only spoke about Rizvan Kuniev’s big matchup but also shared a few conspiracy theories. Here’s what the fans had to say on social media after discovering the doping violations.
Does Dana White have a beef with Curtis Blaydes? Fans react
The first and foremost reaction that most fans had was to send a strong message to the UFC. They want Dana White and Co. to release Rizvan Kuniev and Hamdy Abdelwahab, with one fan claiming, “Is this true? If so should he get cut from the ufc asap.” They believe UFC is not a place for cheaters, even though there have been a lot of such instances in the past. When it comes to the CEO giving Kuniev a top contender, fans opined that maybe the 55-year-old is looking to bring in new fighters into the scene and get rid of the old. But they still believe Curtis Blaydes is going to seal the deal.
“It’s ridiculous but i think they want new HW contenders even tho I think Blaydes destroys him,” one of the aforementioned fans commented on X. Meanwhile, some fans had their own theories, as they claim that Dana White may not be too fond of Curtis Blaydes. As a result, he’s putting ‘Razor’ in a tough spot at UFC Baku. “The ufc hates Curtis Blaydes,” an X user wrote. Well, do you agree with that claim? The community is also shocked at how the oddsmakers see Kuniev heading into the fight, as one fan added, “And he is underdog.” But then the blame was placed on the undisputed heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
The fans believe that his lack of activity has caused Dana White to bring in whoever he can to keep the division’s momentum rolling. “That just how bad Heavyweight is. Always been weak, but Jon made it worse.” On the other hand, one fan also pointed out how the frequency of fighters failing drug tests has slowed down since Dana White and Co. switched from USADA to Drug Free Sport International. “No one has popped since usada left the UFC btw,” he wrote. On the other side of the spectrum, a fan posed a question while advocating the use of PEDs, much like Joe Rogan, when he asked, “Can we all agree that mma with PEDs would be more entertaining?”
Well, what do you think? Should PEDs be made legal? And what do you make of Dana White’s decision with Rizvan Kuniev for UFC Baku? Drop your comments below.
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