News Eagle FC Heavyweight champion Rizvan Kuniev will make his debut against Curtis Blaydes at UFC Seattle on Feb. 22

[RockyLockridge]

except paying for Ngannou is literally killing PFL. and according to Ngannou it wasn't a money thing it was "i want to box" thing.

Okay then let him box?

 

[CatchtheseHands]

Yeah, from Buday to fucking Blaydes. Talk about a baptism of fire. IIRC, Kuniev can wrestle but isn't his forte per se so I think Blaydes gives him a rough time and finishes him in the 3rd.

Kuniev was in PFL and was Eagle FC Champ, that's likely why they're throwing him into the fire. He's not Rebelis who had like no MMA experience or Jhonata who was a Kickboxing guy crossing over.

 

[The_Renaissance]

Kuniev was in PFL and was Eagle FC Champ, that's likely why they're throwing him into the fire. He's not Rebelis who had like no MMA experience or Jhonata who was a Kickboxing guy crossing over.

Oh, he's definitely top 10 material I reckon even now, but it's mad to see him thrown to a fringe contender straight away after being scheduled against Buday, a relatively good top 15-20 type fighter initially. Kuniev must've been eager to get to work I guess, and Blaydes was the option. Didn't Kuniev finish Renan in PFL, too, and it got overturned or something?

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

Okay then let him box?

so their champ can get murdered by AJ in front of the world? a lot of good letting him box did PFL. nobody gives a single fuck about him still.

we have the benefit of hindsight here, clearly UFC made the correct move and not caving into his demands. had his boxing fights blew up into a May/Mac situation then they'd had known they fucked up big, but from how everything is going right now, it seems like paying Ngannou all that money was a mistake because he's not worth it, and letting him box was a mistake because all he did was almost beat 1 guy and get slaughtered by another.

 

[RockyLockridge]

so their champ can get murdered by AJ in front of the world?

If they let him fight fury then pulled him right back, He'd have been fine.

I agree the boxing thing was stupid but after the fight with Fury, His next MMA fight might have sold gangbusters against the right opponent. I think Francis took it too far fighting twice, I think the UFC took it too far not letting him box. the UFC should have just left him a free agent with the door open. Tell him vacate your belt, do whatever you want, sign to another promotion if you want we dont care. but when you're done you're welcome back here because you're a commodity needed for us.

If Jones fights aspinall, wins and then retires, what's left? Aspinall vs gane for the vacant? I mean I guess we haven't seen Rozenstriuke and Aspinall.... cornucopia of good fights at HW to make later. The UFC kinda needs more blood at hw.

 

[Pancake Sprawl]

If the let him fight fury then pulled him right back, He'd have been fine.

I agree the boxing thing was stupid but after the fight with Fury, His next MMA fight might have sold gangbusters against the right opponent. I think Francis took it too far fighting twice, I think the UFC took it too far not letting him box. the UFC should have just left him a free agent with the door open. Tell him vacate your belt, do whatever you want, sign to another promotion if you want we dont care. but when you're done you're welcome back here because you're a commodity needed for us.

If Jones fights aspinall, Wins and Then retires, What's left? Aspinall vs gane for the vacant? I mean I guess we haven't seen Rozenstriuke and Aspinall.

100% agree on that. but i just think UFC was scared he was going to turn into Conor, or get embarrassed. but yeah, had they let him box, then he did what he did to Fury and then pull him back, with the UFC's promotional machine behind him they could've built the Jones fight up into a monster. but it all hinged on UFC and Dana wanting it to happen, for whatever reason they didn't like Ngannou as much as they liked Conor.

100% agree though. i'm sure Dana was pissed with himself after seeing the Fury fight, but then was happy when he saw the AJ fight. we all know Dana knows he could've made money with the Fury fight and used it to bolster the fuck out of his champ, like you said. it sucks for me because i never wanted Ngannou to leave either, because i thought his style and his size he had the best chance to beat Jon.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

That's a rough first UFC fight. What is up with this match making?

They need someone to beat blaydes to challenge Tom for his interim title.

If they let him fight fury then pulled him right back, He'd have been fine.

I agree the boxing thing was stupid but after the fight with Fury, His next MMA fight might have sold gangbusters against the right opponent. I think Francis took it too far fighting twice, I think the UFC took it too far not letting him box. the UFC should have just left him a free agent with the door open.

Here's the thing: Francis isn't McGregor. They expected him to get KTFO by Tyson, which he would have had Fury not come in looking worse than when he was fat and suicidal. They also expected mcgregor to lose to mayweather. The difference is, one of them can sell 2m PPVs, while the other certainly cannot.

Francis was never a draw, for what reason I do not know. I watched all his fights and enjoyed the swangin and bangin. Letting him box was far more of a risk than a reward for the UFC. Having your HW champion KTFO doesn't do wonders for selling his aura, nor does it do any favors for the legitimacy of the title, not that it seems they care about that anymore anyway. Just my two cents.

Mcgregor was more reward than risk. His fans will buy his PPVs even if he loses, and the boxing spotlight against Mayweather paid for itself in droves with the eventually 2m PPVs the Khabib fight generated.

 

[CatchtheseHands]

Oh, he's definitely top 10 material I reckon even now, but it's mad to see him thrown to a fringe contender straight away after being scheduled against Buday, a relatively good top 15-20 type fighter initially. Kuniev must've been eager to get to work I guess, and Blaydes was the option. Didn't Kuniev finish Renan in PFL, too, and it got overturned or something?

Also there was no one else for Blaydes to fight in the relatively near future. Gane and Volkov just fought, Almeida vs Spivac is booked, Pav vs Rozen is booked. That's already nearly all of the top 10 unavailable except for Tybura and Lewis. Yeah it got overturned cause he got popped for enhancements.

 

[CC27]

I dont get this at all. HW has no guys coming up so instead of maybe giving him Tuivasa or Lewis and building him up you jump him right into a top 5 fight?

If he wins ok but if he goes out and gets smoked its like you did that for what?