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Contender Series Week 2: Andreas Gustafsson vs. Pat Pytlik kicks off the card in the heavyweight division between Rizvan Kuniev and Hugo Cunha. Kuniev is coming off 10 straight wins as he looks to continue his winning ways and get himself a UFC contract this Tuesday night meanwhile, Cunha has won back-to-back fights which have come inside the distance when he makes his first appearance on the Contender Series. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Kuniev-Cunha prediction and pick.
Rizvan Kuniev (12-2-1) would be coming off a victory but his win against Renan Ferreira the former PFL champion was overturned after he was suspended for taking anabolic steroids. This will be his first fight back since being suspended as he comes off a 16-month layoff as he tries to make a good second impression as this is his second stint on the Contender Series when he takes on Hugo Cunho on this week's episode to finally secure his UFC contract.
Hugo Cunha (8-1) has now won back-to-back fights with both coming inside the distance, one knockout and one submission win over former Contender Series alumni Eduardo Neves where he captured the LFA Heavyweight Championship. Now, Cunha will look to do one better and defeat the surging Rizvan Kuniev on Tuesday night to secure his UFC contract.
Here are the Contender Series UFC Odds, courtesy of DraftKings.
UFC Contender Series Odds: Rizvan Kuniev-Hugo Cunha Odds
Rizvan Kuniev: -600
Hugo Cunha: +420
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Why Rizvan Kuniev Will Win
Rizvan Kuniev fought on the Contender Series back in 2021 where he finished Edivan Santos in the third round but ultimately wasn't awarded with a UFC contract. Kuniev went to fight two more times for Eagle FC and the PFL where he racked up two wins but one of those wins against Renan Ferreira was overturned due to Kuniev popping for a banned substance. After not being resigned by the PFL, Kuniev got the call to make his second appearance on the Contender Series as he looks to put that suspension behind him and secure a spot in the UFC when he takes on LFA Heavyweight Champion Hugo Cunha.
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Kuniev is your typical fighter from Dagestan, Russia who loves to utilize his wrestling to ground and pound his opponents into oblivion. While his grappling is his strong suit his background is in Wushu Sanda which is striking giving him the capabilities to fight wherever this fight takes place. In this matchup against Cunha, Kuniev will have to be wary of the grappling of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. We could potentially see more striking out of Kuniev in this matchup and utilize his grappling to tire out the bigger Cunha. As long as Kuniev doesn't get caught on the feet or on the canvas in transition he could potentially just ground and pound his way to victory in hopes of this time getting the UFC contract he's been hoping for.
Why Hugo Cunha Will Win
Hugo Cunha comes into his first appearance on the Contender Series winning 8 of his 9 professional bouts and with a two-fight finish streak where he captured the LFA Heavyweight Championship. Cunha was able to finish former two-time Contender Series alumni Eduardo Neves via second-round arm-triangle choke. Now, Cunha has his eyes set on a UFC contract when he takes on Contender Series alumni Rizvan Kuniev this Tuesday night.
Hugo Cunha despite having heavy hands is a high-level Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt. His ability to dominate when the fight hits the canvas could be key to him getting his hand raised in the end. We know that Kuniev likes to grapple as well but it's different when he has to defend the grappling. If Kuniev is the one having to defend takedowns, he could lose a lot of steam early that is when Cunha can take advantage. That will open up ground and pound and a potential submission. However, Kuniev is still a threat on the feet and is a great grappler in his own right. It will be up to Cunha to land some heavy shots on the feet early and defend the takedowns to land some of his own to get the finish and get his UFC contract.
Final Rizvan Kuniev-Hugo Cunha Prediction & Pick
This should be a heavyweight barnburner for however long it lasts. This fight is expected to end early but it feels like if it doesn't the frantic early pace will slow things down. However, these two will be searching for the finish early which should provide some excitement throughout. Ultimately, it will be Kuniev's heavy grappling pressure that will be the difference maker in this fight as he takes down Cunha eventually finishing him early with vicious ground and pound to secure his UFC contract.
Final Rizvan Kuniev-Hugo Cunha Prediction & Pick: Rizvan Kuniev (-600)
