Shavkat Rakhmonov has announced the date for his UFC title fight.

The second-ranked welterweight in the UFC from Kazakhstan, Shavkat Rakhmonov, discussed the situation regarding the cancellation of his title fight against Belal Muhammad with the president of Fight Nights Global, Kamil Gadzhiev, on his YouTube channel, as reported by Sports.kz.

It was anticipated that Shavkat and Belal would face off in May; however, Rakhmonov had to withdraw due to health issues.

— We were really looking forward to your title fight with Belal. Now we understand that it’s postponed. What are the timelines? What’s going through your mind, what are the managers saying, what does the UFC promise?
— There was actually an offer. I had an injury before the fight [with Ian Garry], and after the fight, I didn’t recover in time. Because of that, I had to pull out of the fight, it wasn’t just a simple decision. I wanted to fight, everyone wants to see the match. I personally want to become champion and bring the belt back to Kazakhstan to make my fans happy.

— Am I correct in understanding that you should be given a title shot by fall?
— I believe that whoever becomes champion, I will be ready by fall. I need to first sort out my health—heal my injuries and be 100% ready.