Father of Kazakh UFC Fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov Dies at 65

Baktybai Alpamysov, the father of Kazakh UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov, has died at the age of 65. He passed away on August 2, according to infohub.kz.

The information was confirmed to Vesti.kz by a source close to the athlete's team. The news first emerged after an announcement of a memorial dinner was posted on social media. A Quran reading and memorial dinner will be held on August 13 in Karaganda.

"In honor of our father, Alpamysov Baktybai Rakhmanuly, a Thursday memorial dinner with Quran reading will be given," the message to relatives and friends reads.

Rakhmonov himself has not made any public statements regarding his father's death as of this publication.

The 31-year-old Rakhmonov's professional career is currently on a long hiatus due to injury. The Kazakh remains undefeated with 19 wins in 19 fights, seven of which came in the UFC.

Rakhmonov last stepped into the octagon in December 2024 at UFC 310, where he defeated Ireland's Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision. That fight was the first in his professional career to go to the judges' scorecards.

Since then, Rakhmonov's return has been postponed several times due to health issues. In February 2026, he was removed from the UFC welterweight (77 kg) rankings after suffering a new injury. Prior to that, he held the second spot and was considered one of the top contenders for a title shot.

As Kursiv previously reported, Rakhmonov will not fight until the end of 2026. His coach, Eduard Bazrov, said the athlete is continuing to recover from a leg injury and is currently training in a limited capacity, focusing on physical conditioning and boxing. According to the coach's preliminary assessment, Rakhmonov could be fully ready to return by February 2027, though the exact timeline depends on his rehabilitation progress.

Rakhmonov's team hopes that the long layoff will not cost him his place among the contenders. Bazrov has suggested that upon his return, the UFC could immediately offer the Kazakh an opponent from the top 10 or even top 5 of the welterweight division.