"She wants to be a wife to Kazakhstan" - Fans react to Laura Sanko flaunting traditional headgear from Shavkat Rakhmonov's home country

The meme surrounding Laura Sanko and Shavkat Rakhmonov is the gift that keeps on giving. Following 'Nomad's' hard-fought win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 310, the aforementioned pair crossed paths backstage, during which Sanko was seen wearing his traditional Kazakh headdress, drawing fan attention.

Known as the malahai or by its romanized version, malakhai, it is Rakhmonov's most distinctive piece of attire. A clip of Sanko wearing the wolf fur headgear has made the rounds on X, with fans reacting to the moment in various ways on the thread under the tweet.

Check out Shavkat Rakhmonov and Laura Sanko's encounter:

However, the likely reason Sanko wore the headdress was to create an element of engagement as she interviewed Rakhmonov following his grueling win over Garry, which marked the very first time that 'Nomad' has gone to a decision. Others, though, couldn't help but joke about Rakhmonov and Sanko.

"The 6th round is about to be Shavkat's most dominant"

This was echoed by another fan, albeit jokingly.

"She wants to be a wife to Kazakhstan"

Some even claimed that Sanko had a crush on Rakhmonov, a narrative that's been speculated before.

"She's always had a major crush on him"

Some, though, took note of the Kazakh phenom's lacking reaction to Sanko's fanfare.

"He is not impressed"

A collage of fan reactions can be seen below:

Fan reactions to Laura Sanko interacting with Shavkat Rakhmonov

As one of Rakhmonov's biggest supporters on the UFC broadcast team, Sanko will likely be the most eager to watch him face Belal Muhammad for welterweight gold in the near future.

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This isn't the first time that Laura Sanko has worn Shavkat Rakhmonov's headgear

The saga between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Laura Sanko began when the UFC commentator detailed the awe she experiences when watching him fight. Her choice of words led to the now widely repeated joke/rumor that she has romantic affections for him. It only escalated when she wore his headgear during shows.

Rakhmonov himself has been relatively distant about Sanko's admiration for him, saying little more than how good it feels for him to have a woman's attention in such a manner.