Cobra Kai new favorite Rayna Vallandingham poses for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit

We’re just two days away from the highly-anticipated return of Cobra Kai, which is currently in its sixth and final season. Netflix decided to split up the final installment into three different parts as Johnny Lawrence, Daniel LaRusso, and the gang navigate the biggest showdown of their karate journey so far—the Sekai Taikai. As always, Miyagi-Do goes through a series of conflicts trying to prove they’re the best, all while its clashing personalities struggle to put their differences aside for the sake of the dojo.

In season 6, we get to meet a new batch of characters as new dojos are introduced. The Iron Dragons are a tough match for Miyagi-Do, and things only get more complicated as the characters spend more time together. One of the new additions is the dojo’s co-captain Zara Malik, played by Rayna Vallandingham, who gets involved with Robby. The 22-year-old Indian-American actress is a legend in the world of mixed martial arts, taking Taekwondo classes at the age of two and breaking records throughout her career in the sport.

On Tuesday, Feb. 11, it was announced that Vallandingham would appear in the 2025 issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit after being photographed in Jamaica by Yu Tsai. Though our sister site won't be sharing all of the photos yet, the exciting announcement came with one sneak peek photo from set, seen below:

When the image above was shared on the SI Swimsuit Instagram account, it didn’t take long for fans and fellow celebrities to share their excitement. Vallandingham’s Cobra Kai co-star Peyton List, who has played Tory Nichols since season 2, commented, "jaw on the FLOOR." Others simply shared GIFs from the long-running Netflix show.

For Vallandingham, joining the beloved Karate Kid spinoff was extra special considering her background in combat sports. "It feels like I’ve been preparing my whole life for these roles with constant training, and fortunately due to that competitive mentality, I’ve always strived to stay prepared," she told Numéro Netherlands. "For Cobra Kai specifically, I went back to my roots of Tae Kwon Do and trained kicks, flips, and weapon choreography repetitively until I knew I was capable of filming these fight scenes over and over again on set."

We can't wait to see what happens next in Cobra Kai when the final five episodes of the series come out on Thursday. The new release will hit Netflix at 12:00 a.m. PT/3:00 a.m. ET on Feb. 13. In the meantime, be sure to check out the official sneak peek for Part 3 below:

Cobra Kai first premiered on YouTube Red (now known as YouTube Premium) back in 2018. After two seasons on the platform, Netflix acquired the series and became the streaming home to the lighthearted comedy, producing the next four seasons.