Fanil Rafikov, a teammate of Shavkat Rakhmonov, reported that "Nomad" asked UFC for a fight at the beginning of next year.
"Shavkat asked for a fight at the beginning of next year and is waiting for an opponent. I think by the time he returns, many positions in the division will change. Perhaps the champion will change, the top contenders will change, because a fight between Prates and Edwards has already been announced for November, and Brady is looking for an opponent. At the moment, this is one of the most interesting divisions and it is very exciting to follow this story. I would like to see Shavkat as soon as possible, and I think that most likely we will see a fight with Belal Muhammad."
