Makhachev hints at the end: “My next fight is one of the last in my career”
UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev said on X that his career is nearing its end. He also responded to criticism that he is avoiding Carlos Prates and Michael Morales.
Archive image · Photo: Head of the Republic of Dagestan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (cropped and resized)
Islam Makhachev has hinted that his career is nearing its end. “My next fight is one of the last in my career,” the UFC welterweight champion wrote on X on Friday. The 35-year-old did not announce his retirement. According to MMA Fighting, Makhachev is one of only four fighters to have won and defended titles in multiple UFC weight classes; he last defended the welterweight belt against Ian Machado Garry in August.
The post is also a response to criticism: Makhachev does not plan to defend his title until after Ramadan 2027, so Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will fight for an interim belt at UFC 336 on January 30 in Toronto. “They say Prates is too dangerous for me and Morales is too good for me,” Makhachev wrote. “So I want to face the best of them and prove to the world once again who is the best in world.”
According to MMA Sucka, Makhachev is expected to face the new interim champion after Ramadan to unify the belts. Before UFC 330, his coach Javier Mendez had said Makhachev had no plans to retire soon.