When the UFC reached out to see if Kakhramonov would fill in for Mana Martinez on short notice opposite Trevin Jones last summer, they probably believed the Team Oyama member was somewhere in and around Irvine, California, where the team trains.
Instead, he was visiting his native Uzbekistan, but after a quick 14-hour-ish flight, some promotional photos, and a stint in the sauna, he hit the scales on Friday morning, stepped into the Octagon on Saturday evening, and came away with a third-round submission win for his efforts, pushing his record to 9-2 in the process.
Now the talented 26-year-old is back for his sophomore appearance, taking a step up in competition to face off with veteran New Yorker Brian “Boom” Kelleher early on Saturday’s fight card.
Currently riding a three-fight winning streak, Kakhramonov bounced through a few different promotions before landing in the UFC, earning wins over Jerrell Hodge and Askar Askar, while suffering his first career loss to fellow UFC sophomore Umar Nurmagomedov. He’s finished seven of his nine career victories, including each fight in his current winning streak, and showed tremendous resolve and tenacity in navigating into the third round and stopping Jones in mid-August.
Kelleher represents a moderate step up in competition — a 35-year-old stalwart who returned to bantamweight and the win column the same night Kakhramonov defeated Jones. A dozen fights into his UFC run, “Boom” is 7-4 inside the Octagon, including wins over Iuri Alcantara, Ode’ Osbourne, and Hunter Azure.
Kakhramonov’s win over Jones put him on the map, and a victory over Kelleher would certainly raise his profile in the crowded 135-pound weight class, setting him up for another quality pairing in his second appearance of 2022.