Rizvan Kuniev punched his ticket to the heavyweight top 10 with a decisive victory over Jailton Almeida at UFC Vegas 113 on Saturday.
Following a relatively uneventful first round where both fighters took turns controlling the clinch, both fighters finally started to let their fists fly in the second. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long as Kuniev was content to clinch up against the cage. Frustrated by the lack of action, the live crowd to chant “break them up,” prompting referee Dan Miragliotta to do exactly that.
Of course, that didn’t result in any more action, leading to more boos as the second round came to a close.
It was more of the same in the third round, with Kuniev controlling the clinch and Almeida showing little urgency.
With 90 seconds to go in the fight, Almeida started to show some signs of life, but they were quickly snuffed out as Kuniev backed the Brazilian against the fence. As the 10-second clacker sounded, Kuniev took a page out of Max Holloway’s book, challenging Almeida to stand and trade with him.
Both fighters offered up a few shots, but nothing of note landed, mercifully sending us to the scorecards for a decision.
Official Result: Rizvan Kuniev def. Jailton Almeida via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
