Move over Diaz bros, is this the next big UFC sibling duo?

We have had several sets of siblings compete in the UFC to varying degrees of success. There were the Nogueiras (Antônio Rodrigo and Antônio Rogério), the Diazes (Nick and Nate), the Shevchenkos (Valentina and Antonina), and now, we could have a new set to introduce to the promotion: the Rakhmonovs. Yeah, you read that right. There are two Rakhmonovs, and they are one and the same when it comes to violence. 

Is Sora Rakhmonov close to joining her brother in the UFC?

This past Friday, Sora Rakhmonov — sister of Shavkat — was in action against Valeria Karygina at Naiza Fighting Championship 51 in Kazakhstan. The 24-year-old earned her third consecutive win, this time via second-round TKO after hurting Karygina to the body and finishing her in the clinch. 

You can watch the fight-ending sequence here, courtesy of Caposa on Twitter:

If you want to watch the entire fight, it starts around 2:55:00 here. Aside from Rakhmonov, there are some really good fights (and basketball games?!) at this recent Naiza FC offering.

With the win, Sora is now 4-1 as a professional. Her only loss — a unanimous decision against Veronika Borisova at Naiza FC 31 — happened nearly two years ago. Perhaps with a couple of more wins, she can join Shavkat in the UFC. 

Shavkat Rakhmonov is already a force in the UFC

Since joining the UFC, Shavkat Rakhmonov has run through every opponent he has faced. The ‘Nomad’ has yet to go to a decision, finishing all of his opponents, including Geoff Neal in his most recent ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded appearance at UFC 285 this past March. At the time, Shavkat expressed interest in a championship opportunity against the winner of Leon Edwards and Kamaru Usman II at UFC 286 in April. 

“After a fight like that, I’m in no rush,” said Shavkat at his post-fight press conference. “We have Ramadan month ahead of us, but saying that, a title fight in Abu Dhabi would be great. Etihad Arena would be full of Kazakhstan fans. It would be great for my country.”

However, that opportunity is going to Colby Covington, who is preparing to challenge ‘Rocky’ at some point. Since his first option is out, Shavkat wants his second: Kelvin Gastelum. The former Ultimate Fighter winner announced he was moving from middleweight to welterweight, and the 28-year-old expressed interest in him as an opponent. 

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Kristen King

Kristen King is a writer for Bloody Elbow. She has covered combat sports since 2016, getting her start with outlets such as FanSided, MyMMANews and MMA-Prospects. She joined the BE team in 2020, covering a mix of news, events and injuries. In her time with BE, Kristen has created ‘Fright of the Night,’ a series that highlights some of the worst injuries in the sport.

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