Undefeated featherweight Razhabali Shaydullaev has just two bouts remaining on his RIZIN contract. The 18-0 fighter is expected to join the UFC once his current deal concludes.
Undefeated featherweight prospect Razhabali Shaydullaev is closing in on a move to the UFC, with just two fights remaining on his current RIZIN contract standing between him and the sport's biggest stage.
Shaydullaev has yet to taste defeat as a professional, and the expectation within the sport is that the UFC will be his next destination once his obligations to the Japanese promotion are fulfilled. He has built his unbeaten record competing in RIZIN, establishing himself as one of the more closely watched featherweight prospects outside of the UFC's roster.
Why it matters
- An 18-0 record entering the UFC would make Shaydullaev one of the more accomplished unbeaten prospects the promotion has signed in recent years.
- The featherweight division at 145 pounds remains one of the UFC's most competitive, meaning his arrival would carry immediate significance.
- How he performs in his final two RIZIN appearances will heavily shape expectations and likely influence where he enters the UFC rankings conversation.
With two bouts still to go under his RIZIN deal, there is no confirmed timeline for when a UFC signing could materialize. Those remaining fights will serve as his final audition on the RIZIN canvas before a widely anticipated transition to the world's premier MMA organization.
