“No, I have not been told or promised anything, but I want to say that I am ready to fight for the title, and the victory over Stephen Thompson will be another proof of this,” – said the Kazakhstani fighter in another edition of the program “The MMA Hour”.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen next, and right now I’m fully focused on the fight with ‘Vanderboegh’. He is 40 years old, but he is a top level athlete and it will be very difficult to knock him out of the top ten”
“Everything is in the hands of the Almighty, but I would like to fight for the title next year. My goal for 2024 is to win the championship belt and bring it home to Kazakhstan”
The fight between Shavkat Rakhmonov and Stephen Thompson will be part of UFC 296, which takes place Dec. 16 in Las Vegas, and will headline the numbered event with a welterweight title clash between Britain’s Leon Edwards and American Colby Covington.