MMA fighter Farhod Rakhimzoda, convicted of a double murder, has reportedly died in prison. The 33-year-old, known as 'Tiger Eye', was serving a 23-year sentence for the killings.
Rakhimzoda fatally stabbed 39-year-old Olga Yaroslavtseva and strangled her five-year-old daughter in January 2024. He lured the pair into a taxi ride, taking them to a secluded spot in Russia before attacking the mother in front of her child.
Motive behind the killings
Authorities believe Rakhimzoda murdered the pair to buy a home for his family. Olga had told him she received a sizeable inheritance, prompting the killer to steal her money, phone and car, worth around RUB 5.5m (£49,500), before selling the vehicle.
At the time, Rakhimzoda was married with two children and lived at his mother-in-law's flat. He was caught after telling her that Olga attacked him with a knife and he killed her in self-defence.
Arrest and sentencing
Before fleeing abroad, he gave his mother-in-law a bundle of cash for his wife's mortgage. She handed the money to investigators, and his wife later divorced him.
Rakhimzoda was arrested at the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border on January 25, 2024, and handed over to Russian authorities. Despite claiming the deaths were accidental, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison in October 2025 for robbery and double murder.
Russian media reported that Rakhimzoda has died, with some sources claiming the death took place in prison, but no official statement or exact date has been shared.
