First ever UFC fighter appears in Kazakhstan

AKIPRESS.COM - A 24-year-old Kazakh fighter Shavkat Rahmonov signed a contract with UFC, his manager Sayat Abdrakhmanov announced on Instagram, Tengrinews.kz reports. "Shavkat Rahmonov signed a contract with UFC and will enter the history as the first Kazakhstani fighter, who signed a contract with the best MMA organization. The debut is scheduled for November. Shavkat became the first, but, I am sure, will be not the last representative of our country in UFC," Abdrakhmanov noted.
The professional debut of Shavkat in MMA was held in November 2014. In March 2019, he won the M-1 Global Welterweight Champion Championship and successfully defended the title for the first time in June.
There are 12 inside-the-distance victories in 12 fights under his belt.
Shavkat was born and raised in Uzbekistan. He is Kazakh.
In the interview with Vesti.kz, the fighter said that he used to work as a baggage handler in a bazaar. Due to the constant workouts in marital arts, he managed to make a career in MMA.
"I worked in a bazaar as simple baggage handler. I have a simple family. When we came to Kazakhstan, we did not know the language. So we had to work everywhere. We got any work. At the same time, I used to go to workouts. I used to come from work, take my staff and go to workouts. People were very surprized when I became a champion," Shavkat told.