Shavkat Rakhnonov‘s prodigal talent and killer instinct are self-evident. There is a reason why the undefeated Kazakh welterweight has finished every opponent put in front of him in his pro MMA career so far – he is just that good and lethal.

But of course, it takes a village to raise a child, and no fighter can really make it to the highest level without the support and care of an excellent team. This includes Rakhmonov, who owes a lot to his coaches and manager. Hence, in this article, we’ll take closer a look at the Kazakh phenom’s manager, who is among the best in the world.

Meet Sayat Abdrakhmanov, Shavkat Rakhmonov’s manager

Except for Shavkat Rakhmonov, Asu Almabayev, and Azat Maksum, there are not a lot of Kazakh mixed martial artists in the promotion. And MMA managers from the Central Asian country are even rarer. This is why Rakhmonov’s manager, Sayat Abdrakhmanov is so unique and special. He is also a polyglot, as we will see later, and his hailing from Kazakhstan has, in fact, given him certain advantages which have made him such a successful manager.

Abdrakhmanov’s story is very different from almost any other manager in the sport. Being born and raised in Kazakhstan is only a small and minor part of his story. He did most of his higher education in China, which is almost unheard of in the whole industry. After all, he got a bachelor’s and then a master’s in International Business at Beijing’s prestigious University of International Business and Economics.

But Abdrakhmanov, despite being a bright student, was also very interested in sports, especially combat sports, which is not surprising since he grew in Kazakastan with its outdoorsy culture. He joined Tiger Muay Thai and MMA in Phuket, Thailand right out of University and has continued to train there. Finally, he joined Daniel Rubenstein-founded ‘Ruby Sports and Entertainment’ a few years ago, where he naturally became an MMA.

Who else does Rakhmonov’s manager work with?

Sayat Abdrakhamanov represents a host of Russian, Kazakh, and Eastern European athletes. Why? Well in part because he knows a whopping five languages – Kazakh, English, Russian, Thai, and Chinese. In the UFC, apart from Shavkat Rakhmonov, he represents former bantamweight champ Petr Yan, undefeated featherweight young lion Movsar Evloev, and promising welterweight up-and-comer, Rinat Fakhretdinov. All three fighters have two things in common- They’re all Russian and are managed by Sayat Abdrakhmanov.

In addition, the Kazakh manager has some clients from other Papakha-wearing countries. Lightweight title contender, Arman Tsarukyan from Armenia is also represented by Abdrakhamnov, as is Armenian lightweight star Rafaez Fiziev.

Along with his managerial career, the Kazakh has continued to train in martial arts and still proudly represents Tiger Muay Thai. Of course, given the caliber of his numerous clients, he may not have a lot of time to train, but he at least makes a conscious effort to do so. No wonder he has so many promising fighters as clients and has represented them so well. There is, after all, no substitute to loving your job if you do it well. In that light, Sayat Abdrakhamnov clearly loves his job. What do you think about Shavkat Rakhmonov’s manager?