"The lone heavyweights on the UFC Vegas 113 card, Rizvan Kuniev and Jailton Almeida faced off in Las Vegas in what was a huge opportunity for Russia's Kuniev. With original opponent Ryan Spann out, Kuniev received a serious upgrade, going from the unranked Spann to #6-ranked Almeida. For a fighter who had struggled to stay active in the UFC, it was a major blessing for Kuniev, if he could capitalize."
"Kuniev looked to sneak in an elbow, but Almeida took that moment to try and duck for a takedown. Neither man was successful and they went back to the fence. The ref, calling for action, finally restarted them at center. That led to Almeida punching his way in, and Kuniev instead getting in control and taking the Brazilian to the fence again."
"Lots of room for improvement in round two. Almeida got a low kick going. He'd also shoot for a takedown, but Kuniev easily fought that off, putting the Brazilian on the fence again. He ripped the body once, then again. Added a knee. Almeida essentially stood there, as if waiting for another restart by the ref. Not exactly a winning strategy. Off the fence, Almeida got a few short punches in, while Kuniev worked his jab and threw combos to close the distance."
Rizvan Kuniev faced Jailton Almeida at UFC Vegas 113 after receiving a high-ranked replacement opponent. Almeida repeatedly tried to drive Kuniev to the fence and attempted takedowns, but Kuniev used underhooks, reversals, and takedown defense to regain position and control. Multiple referee restarts interrupted clinches while both fighters traded strikes during standups. Kuniev landed body shots, a knee, and consistently worked his jab and combinations to close distance. Almeida managed occasional low kicks and short punches but offered limited answers when controlled on the fence, allowing Kuniev to dictate much of the action.
Read at Cageside Press
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]