Shavkat Rakhmonov’s wife and young son have survived a deadly car accident that claimed the lives of two others on Sunday in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region.
According to multiple reports, the UFC welterweight contender’s wife, Gulayim Rakhmonova, and their son were traveling with friends from Karaganda to Almaty when their Toyota Land Cruiser overturned on the 296th kilometer of the Almaty-Yekaterinburg highway, near the village of Aksuyek. Preliminary findings suggest that Gulayim, who was behind the wheel, lost control of the SUV. A local government statement confirmed the tragic incident:
“This morning, the wife of the famous UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov was involved in a traffic accident, which killed her passengers. The accident occurred on the highway in the Moyynkum district of the Zhambyl region.”
Shavkat Rakhmonov’s manager, Daniel Rubenstein, told MMA Fighting that the fighter’s wife and son were transported to the hospital and are currently in stable condition.
“Rakhmonov’s wife and son were sent to the hospital after the accident and are in stable condition,” Rubenstein said.
The identities of the two deceased passengers have not been released as of this report. Rakhmonov has not issued any public statements and remains silent on social media regarding the tragedy.
The 30-year-old Rakhmonov, born in Shurchi, Uzbekistan, remains undefeated in his MMA career with a 19-0 record. He last competed in December 2024 at UFC 310, where he secured a win over late-replacement Ian Machado Garry.
Rakhmonov was originally scheduled to challenge for the welterweight title on that card before then-champion Belal Muhammad pulled out due to injury.
Shavkat Rakhmonov is regarded as one of the top contenders in the UFC’s welterweight division and has been a professional fighter since 2014.
Afrocombat’s thoughts are with the victims’ families and everyone affected by this heartbreaking event.
