Kelvin Gastelum is out of his September bout against Shavkat Rakhmonov

Shavkat Rakhmonov won't be Kelvin Gastelum's opponent in September.

On September 16, Gastelum vs. Rakhmonov was scheduled for a UFC Fight Night event in honour of Mexican Independence Day.The fight  has now been called off, and Gastelum announced it on social media with video that explains why.

After consistently failing to reach the 170-pound threshold early in his UFC career, Gastelum's battle with Rakhmonov was to signal his return to the welterweight division after more than seven years.

After switching to middleweight in 2016, Gastelum amassed a string of notable victories, earning a chance to challenge Israel Adesanya for the interim middleweight title in 2019, but losing the fight. Gastelum decided to go back to his natural weight after experiencing some difficulty at 185 pounds, and the fight with Rakhmonov would have been an opportunity to face a top contender right away.