Rizvan Kuniev

"I think this is Volkov" after building the striking-range case; the colloquial 'I'm going to lean Volkov' is phrasing, not a formal hedge, and the one named risk (a Kuniev grind-out) is addressed, not left standing.

Decent striker whose best tool is a good push-style front kick and a step-in knee to close distance, but he otherwise closes range by swinging big, wild clothesline-style hooks, which the analyst calls a liability against a striker as good as Volkov. Solid, grinding grappler -- his best path to winning is cage pressure, with body locks and a top-control game that progresses to side control and the mounted crucifix; also himself hard to take down.

He commits to a specific route (a grinding decision) but closes with an explicit hedge on the pick itself ("could be swayed").

A decent striker who likes his front kick and knees to close distance, though he sometimes swings wide and wild doing so. His grappling is solid: good takedown defense, a good cage push, a body lock he sticks to, and good top control from side control or a mounted crucifix. The pick leans on grinding Fortune out against the cage over a decision.

slight grappling edge, short notice

He is the better pure striker of the two in this matchup, though the analyst notes that is a low bar against an opponent who barely strikes. He has a pretty good front kick and uses knees well to close distance, but sometimes abandons that for wild, overextended swings instead. His grappling is solid, built around a strong cage push and grinding top pressure, which the analyst sees as his clearest path to winning this fight.

Says he genuinely cannot find a route to Kuniev's side and leans firmly toward Blaydes, yet openly admits a finish is on the table given Blaydes' own knockout history, and never fully closes that door.

A decent striker who closes distance either with a knee (a good method) or by swinging wild (a bad one that risks a knockout); he carries a usable front kick from the outside too. His grappling is solid: a really good cage push, grinding takedowns off the body lock, good top control, and work toward side control and the crucifix.

He names Blaydes outright with a direct comparative case: a significant striking edge plus expected control of the grappling exchanges. The one risk he raises for Blaydes (getting hurt standing, given it is heavyweight) is answered within the same thought rather than left standing, which supports clear rather than a lower grade.

138 calls Kuniev a solid grappler whose best path is a grinding, cage-pressuring game: a body lock, working toward top control, and a crucifix finish he thinks is possible but unlikely against this particular opponent. His striking is only decent, built mainly around a useful front kick and knee entries to close distance; 138 explicitly prefers the knee entries over his habit of swinging wild to close distance, calling the latter a poor idea against this particular opponent.