Razhabali Shaydullaev

Rajabali Shaidullaev (; born October 11, 2000) is a Kyrgyz mixed martial artist who competes in the featherweight division of Rizin Fighting Federation and Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the Rizin Featherweight Champion and the inaugural PFL Featherweight Champion.

In January 2026, he reached No. 6 in the featherweight rankings according to Fight Matrix.

Background Shaidullaev was born in the village of Jergetau in Lakhsh, near the border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and spent his time in Tajikistan until high school. During high school, he played football and judo, and after graduating, he moved to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, where he started wrestling. Three years after starting wrestling, Shaidullaev switched to mixed martial arts and joined Ihlas MMA. He has competed in grappling and jiu-jitsu tournaments and won multiple times. He is also an Asian champion in combat jiu-jitsu.

Professional mixed martial arts career Early career Shaidullaev made his professional mixed martial arts debut in 2019 at the Batyr Bashy tournament in Kyrgyzstan. He then competed in Russia's Absolute Championship Akhmat (ACA) and won three consecutive bouts. In 2022, he fought three bouts over four days at the amateur rules tournament "GAMMA," winning all three to win the GAMMA featherweight championship.

Shaidullaev was scheduled to make his ONE Championship debut against Martin Nguyen on February 25, 2023, at ONE Fight Night 7. He was forced to withdraw due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Leonardo Casotti.

In 2023, Shaidullaev competed in the Road FC Global 63kg Tournament held by Road Fighting Championship (Road FC). In the quarterfinals, he submitted Yang Ji-yeon by rear-naked choke in the first round. He was scheduled to face Haraguchi Hiroshi in the semifinals in August, but was disqualified for being overweight (63.2kg).

On October 17, 2023, Shaidullaev competed in the Emirati mixed martial arts promotion UAE Warriors. He defeated Magomed Al-Abdullah by rear-naked choke in the second round, bringing his record to 10–0. He then canceled his participation in the Road FC tournament third-place match, which was scheduled for 12 days later.

Rizin FF In May 2024, Shaidullaev signed with Rizin, becoming the first Kyrgyz fighter to compete in the promotion. Making his promotional debut, he faced Koji Takeda at Rizin 47 on June 9, 2024. He won the bout by submission with a rear-naked choke.

Shaidullaev faced Juan Archuleta on September 29, 2024, at Rizin 48. He won the bout by armbar submission in the first round. The match was in danger of being canceled because Archuleta was 2.9 kg over the weigh-in the day before, but he said, "I don't care how much my opponent weighs, I want to fight," so the match was held with Archuleta shown a red card and with the condition that Shaidullaev's victory would be the official record.

Shaidullaev faced Yuta Kubo on December 31, 2024, at Rizin 49. He won the bout by TKO in the second round after a ground fight.

Rizin Featherweight Champion Shaidullaev faced Kleber Koike Erbst for the Rizin featherweight title on May 4, 2025, at Rizin: Otoko Matsuri. He applied pressure with strikes from the beginning, cornered Koike Erbst near the ropes, and won by knockout in the first round with a one-two right straight followed by a follow-up right straight, becoming the 7th Rizin featherweight champion.

Shaidullaev faced Viktor Kolesnik on September 28, 2025, at Rizin 51. He landed a direct right straight in a one-two punch, and won by TKO in 33 seconds of the first round, successfully defending his title.

Shaidullaev faced Mikuru Asakura at Rizin: Shiwasu no Cho Tsuwamono Matsuri on December 31, 2025. He defended the title by TKO in the first round.

Shaidullaev faced Yuta Kubo in a rematch on April 12, 2026, at Rizin Landmark 13. He won the bout by TKO in the first round.

Shaidullaev defended his title against former Bellator Featherweight World Champion A. J. McKee, in a bout which also included the inaugural PFL Featherweight Championship being put on the line on September 10, 2026 at Super Rizin 5. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Fighting style Shaidullaev has a wrestling background and started mixed martial arts after moving on to grappling. Regarding his appearance in Rizin in the featherweight (66.0 kg) division, he stated that he didn't have enough time to get down to 61 kg. On the other hand, he has also said that he doesn't mind either weight class and would fight in whichever weight class he was offered.

Shaidullaev is an all-round fighter who is strong in every situation, whether it's striking in the stand-up or grappling. He also excels at combat jiu-jitsu.

Personal life On February 15, 2026, the official Instagram account of Kyrgyz media outlet MMA KYRGYZ reported that Shaidullaev had married.

Championships and accomplishments Rizin Fighting Federation Rizin Featherweight Championship (One time, current) Four successful title defenses Professional Fighters League PFL Featherweight Championship (One time; current; inaugural) MMA Fighting 2025 Third Team MMA All-Star

Mixed martial arts record

See also List of current Rizin Fighting Federation fighters List of male mixed martial artists

References

External links

Razhabali Shaydullaev

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