Kuniev’s Wrestling Defense Frustrated Almeida in Las Vegas
Rizvan Kuniev defeated Jailton Almeida by unanimous decision on February 7, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Scores of 30–27, 30–27 and 29–28 gave Kuniev his first UFC victory after three rounds of heavyweight competition.
A substantial difference on the scale
Kuniev weighed 264 pounds at the official weigh-in, while Almeida registered 241. The Brazilian therefore faced an opponent with a considerable size advantage in a matchup where control against the fence became central.
Almeida entered with a strong history of UFC success, having begun his run with eight victories in nine appearances. This assignment became another difficult test after a defeat in his previous outing.
Kuniev prevented Almeida from establishing his preferred game
Almeida could not translate his takedown attempts into sustained ground offense. Kuniev resisted the wrestling and answered with short strikes, including knees and uppercuts, during extended work along the fence.
Kuniev produced the greater overall volume in a contest that did not become an open heavyweight slugfest. His ability to deny Almeida control was as consequential as the individual strikes he landed.
The scorecards rewarded the more effective performance
Two judges awarded Kuniev all three rounds, while the remaining official gave Almeida one. Their agreement on the winner confirmed Kuniev’s breakthrough without a knockout or submission.
Almeida’s second consecutive loss interrupted his earlier momentum. For Kuniev, the important outcome was securing an official UFC win by neutralizing an established opponent’s most dangerous route to victory.
Sources
- UFC: official results and scorecards
- UFC: official weights
- UFC: main-card report
- Boutmetrics: bout statistics
Article Tags
Rizvan Kuniev, Jailton Almeida, UFC, MMA
