Curtis Blaydes may have come out on top in his UFC Baku bout against Rizvan Kuniev, but it was a close fight that nearly saw him, a No. 5 fighter, lose to a UFC debutant.
Blaydes asserted his wrestling early with a takedown right away. Blaydes dominated with his grappling, controlling Kuniev against the fence and winning the clinch battles.
Kuniev adjusted and took some momentum in the second round, stuffing takedowns and landing clean combos, busting up Bladyes' left eye.
Kuniev stunned Blaydes with a knee during the third round, though Blaydes landed plenty of his own shots, and he controlled the clinch with knees. Kuniev added a late flurry, with wild exchanges to conclude the fight.
All three judges scored the fight 29-28, with two scoring the fight for Blaydes, giving him the win.
Curtis Blaydes Scores Controversial Win Over Rizvan Kuniev At UFC Baku
This was Blaydes's first fight since his knockout loss at UFC 304, when he challenged Tom Aspinall for the interim UFC heavyweight championship.
Kuniev has competed previously for PFL and Eagle FC, the latter of which he won the heavyweight championship in.