Shavkat Rakhmonov will clash with Kelvin Gastelum in a welterweight co-main event at the upcoming UFC card on Sept. 16 from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of a show celebrating Mexican Independence Day.
UFC president Dana White announced the new matchup, which serves as the co-headliner to the flyweight title rematch between champion Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko.
The bout between Rakhmonov and Gastelum comes together after both fighters requested the matchup and obviously the UFC was listening.
Undefeated with a perfect 17-0 record and a remarkable 100 percent finishing rate, Rakhmonov made a steady climb up the UFC rankings since first appearing in the promotion. He picked up his two biggest wins in his most recent contests after submitting both Geoff Neal and Neil Magny in back-to-back performances.
Now he looks to add Gastelum to his resume as the former interim middleweight title challenger returns to the welterweight division for the first time since 2016.
Gastelum was once touted as a future contender at 170 pounds but he struggled to make weight on numerous occasions and that eventually led to his move up middleweight. That’s where he made his biggest impact while picking up marquee wins over Michael Bisping, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and most recently a Fight of the Night effort against Chris Curtis.
He’ll jump right into the deep end of the welterweight division with the fight against Rakhmonov in September.
More fights will be added to the upcoming card on Sept. 16, which will air live on ESPN+ domestically.
