UFC champion Islam Makhachev says his next fight will be ‘one of last’

Reigning UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has hinted at an imminent retirement, saying his next fight will be “one of the last” of his mixed martial arts career.

“My next fight is one of the last in my career,” the Russian MMA fighter said on X on Friday night.

The Russian-born Dagestani fighter has expressed a desire to face the winner of the upcoming bout between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales in a bid to prove to the world “who is the best”.

Makhachev (29 wins, one loss) successfully defended his UFC welterweight championship belt in August, defeating ‌‌Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

With that, Makhachev etched his ⁠⁠name in the UFC record books, extending his winning streak to 17 consecutive fights and surpassing UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva’s historic 16-fight mark set from 2006 to 2013.

Makhachev, the UFC’s pound-for-pound top-ranked fighter, now wants to test himself against the winner of the UFC fight between Prates and Morales, the interim welterweight title fight scheduled for January 30, 2027, the co-main event of UFC 336 in Toronto, Canada.

“They say Prates is too dangerous for me and Morales is too good for me. So I want to face the best of them and prove to the world once again who is the best in the world,” he added.

UFC CEO Dana White said earlier this month that Makhachev was originally slated to defend his welterweight title against Prates in January, but the 35-year-old instead opted to wait for the winner of an interim title bout between Prates and Morales.

Makhachev, widely regarded as one of the best fighters in UFC history, will observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in February and early March in 2027 before returning in the second quarter of the year.

“On average, Islam fights like once a year,” White said at a media conference.

“He was slated for January, and then said, ‘I don’t want to fight until after Ramadan.’ You can’t hold up divisions like this. You gotta keep moving.

“This fight [between Prates and Morales] makes sense.”

Speaking to Russian outlet pound4padel, former lightweight champion Makhachev said the Prates-Morales fight will decide “the true, worthy contender”.