This was announced by the manager of the undefeated Kazakh fighter, Sayat Abdrakhmanov.
“Right now, Shavkat is still recovering,” Abdrakhmanov said. “The doctor has prescribed him six to eight weeks of rest to make sure everything has healed. So most likely he won’t be available for the April tournament. He plans to return in the summer.”
According to the manager, his charge could face the winner of the title fight between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad in the summer, however, an interim fight with one of the division’s tops is also not ruled out.
“If the Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad fight in April is confirmed, and then Leon decides to come back in the summer, then Shawkat could fight either Leon or Belal, depending on who wins the belt. If we have to have another fight, it would have to be a name opponent. Then Shavkat could fight in the summer to cement his challenger status”
A rumored welterweight title fight between Leon Edwards and Belal Muhammad is rumored to be part of the UFC 300 anniversary event on April 13 in Las Vegas.