Gulaiym Rakhmonova, the former wife of renowned Kazakhstani UFC fighter Shavkat Rakhmonov, gave a candid interview on the YouTube channel of host Ruslan Otepbai, detailing a family conflict, a property dispute and the reasons behind their divorce.
Read also: How Russian comedian dodged a sparring session with Shavkat Rakhmonov.
Rakhmonova said discussions about a prenuptial agreement began shortly after a family trip to Dubai in spring 2025, with the athlete initiating the idea. She said she initially reacted with irony but later agreed to sign the document.
Under the agreement, each spouse retains only the property registered in their own name in the event of a divorce. Rakhmonova said the only vehicle registered to her is a Toyota Land Cruiser 200, which she previously crashed in a serious accident.
She said she suspected the decision may have been influenced by conversations within her husband’s family.
«I thought maybe there were discussions between him and his mother and brothers about me claiming property in a divorce,» she said. «If Shavkat thinks I’m only with him for property, then I need to sign — and I signed.»
She is now asking for two apartments in Almaty to be transferred to her or her children. According to Rakhmonova, one apartment was gifted to the family by Alidar Utemuratov and the other by the head of state, but both are currently registered to Rakhmonov and his mother. She said the fighter has refused her request.
Relationship breakdown and family tensions
Rakhmonova said the relationship began to deteriorate after the prenuptial agreement was signed. The couple stopped living together, and conflicts became more frequent.
She added that a serious car accident further strained the relationship, saying she felt unsupported by her husband afterward.
A key source of tension, she said, was her strained relationship with Rakhmonov’s mother. According to Rakhmonova, the fighter made it clear he would not remain with a partner who did not respect his mother.
«If two women can’t get along, I don’t think a man needs that either,» she said. «He chose his mother, and I wasn’t against it.»
She also said the accident may have affected her husband’s attitude, alleging he believed it harmed his public image. Before the divorce was finalized, she said, he asked her to revert to her maiden name, while maintaining he did not intend to divorce.
Legal case and current situation
Despite the conflict, Rakhmonova said she was happy during their 10 years of marriage and has no personal grievances against Rakhmonov as the father of her children.
She also said she learned she was pregnant with her fifth child after the accident, adding to her current vulnerability.
Notably, the Specialized Interdistrict Criminal Court of the Zhambyl region convicted Rakhmonova in a traffic violation case that resulted in two deaths. She was sentenced to five years in prison and had her driver’s license revoked for seven years.
