Uzbekistan-born fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov has established himself as a force of nature in the UFC world. Currently ranked number 5 in the UFC Welterweight rankings, Rakhmonov is a former M-1 Global Welterweight Champion. However, despite the fame he has achieved in the ring, not much information is available about Shavkat’s personal life.
Born in the town of Shurchi, Uzbekistan, into a Kazakh family, Shavkat Rakhmonov’s parents belong to two different tribes. His father belongs to the Altynbay clan, while Rakhmonov’s mother belongs to the Konyrat tribe. He started his professional MMA career in 2014 at M1 Global, the MMA promotion based in Russia. Shavkat also has a younger sister, Sora Rakhmonova, who is also an MMA artist.
There are, however, no reports or rumors about Shavkat Rakhmonov’s dating life. It is unclear whether the ‘Nomad‘ is married or is in a relationship with someone. Most reports suggest that the 29-year-old fighter is currently single. However, there were recent rumors about Shavkat and UFC analyst and commentator Laura Sanko. The rumors started after Laura admitted that she had a crush on the Kazakh fighter.
Shavkat Rakhmonov reacts to a viral video of Laura Sanko praising him 😅
Full #UFC285 scrum ▶️ https://t.co/CDw4u9A5Y7 pic.twitter.com/P0eLPHSVVs
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) March 1, 2023
Laura Sanko, however, later clarified her comments after facing immense backlash over her comments. Laura, who’s been married to husband Nathan Sanko for over a decade, admitted that she only likes Shavkat’s fighting skills, not the man. Nevertheless, Sanko did admit that she has gained over 20,000 followers on her social media accounts since she made the initial comments about Shavkat.
Shavkat Rakhmonov missed his sister’s wedding to train for Stephen Thompson’s fight
Shavkat Rakhmonov is all set to face American MMA star Stephen Thompson in the last fight of the year at UFC 296 in Las Vegas later on December 16, 2023. Rakhmonov is one of the toughest fighters in the UFC currently, and his unbeaten 17-0 MMA record provides justice to the fear he has managed to instill in his opponents. However, ‘Nomad’ has taken his professionalism to another level.
Shavkat Rakhmonov speaks on missing his sisters wedding due to his UFC 296 training camp:
“I have to focus on the preparation at the moment…I’m very happy for my sister, she got married and I wish her only happiness, but getting ready for the fight and the fight is my job.”… pic.twitter.com/cvunAEwk0T
— AFeldmanMMA (@afeldMMA) December 11, 2023
To prepare for his upcoming clash against Stephen Thompson, Shavkat Rakhmonov has missed his sister Sora’s wedding. During an interview with The MMA Hour, Rakhmonov admitted that attending the wedding would have distracted him from the fight. However, he did wish well for his sister, who’s currently fighting in the Naiza Fighter Championship, a regional Kazakh fight promotion.