MMA fighter Farhod Rakhimzoda aka ‘Tiger Eye’ is said to have been found dead in prison after he murdered a young mum and her little daughter in a vicious and cowardly killing
An MMA fighter found guilty of a savage double murder has died in jail as the motive for his horrific killings has finally been unearthed.
Farhod Rakhimzoda, 33, brutally knifed young mum Olga Yaroslavtseva and strangled her five-year-old daughter after luring the pair to join him for a taxi ride. The cowardly cage fighter, known as ‘Tiger Eye’, took the pair to a secluded spot in Russia where he stabbed the 39-year-old mum to death in front of her little girl.
The evil killer then drove around with the girl alongside her mum’s body before strangling the defenceless child and hiding both of his victims’ bodies, as reported by NeedToKnow. But now it appears the featherweight brawler has died behind bars, having been locked up for more than 20 years over the horrendous attacks.
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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. The reason for his killings has also transpired.
Rakhimzoda is believed to have murdered Olga and her little girl to buy a home for his family, after the mum revealed to him that she had received a sizeable inheritance.
The killer, originally from Tajikistan in Central Asia, stole his victim’s money, phone and car, worth a total of around RUB 5.5m (£49,500), before selling the vehicle.
At the time of the incident, he was married with two children, living at his mother-in-law’s flat.
He was caught after telling his mother-in-law that Olga had attacked him with a knife and that he had killed her in self-defence after wresting the weapon from her.
Before fleeing abroad, he handed his mother-in-law a bundle containing stacks of cash, telling her it was for his wife to help pay for a mortgage, according to local media reports published last week.
She handed the money to investigators. And his wife, not named, later divorced the killer.
The original incident took place on January 20, 2024 in Novosibirsk, Russia.
Rakhimzoda was arrested at the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border on January 25, 2024, before being handed over to Russian law enforcement.
Despite claiming the deaths were accidental, he was sentenced to 23 years in prison in October 2025 for robbery and the double murder.
The killer, who also worked as a taxi driver, first met the victim when he gave her a ride in his cab.