31 Oct 2026
Islam Makhachev: 'My next fight is one of the last in my career'
UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev says the end of his career is coming. He will wait for the winner of Carlos Prates vs Michael Morales and plans to return in spring 2027.
Islam Makhachev has started talking about the end.
"My next fight is one of the last in my career," the UFC welterweight champion wrote on Friday. It is the first time the 35-year-old has spoken openly about retiring.
WHO'S NEXT
Makhachev will not fight on January 30 as first planned. Instead, Carlos Prates and Michael Morales are expected to fight for the interim welterweight title that night in Toronto, and Makhachev will face the winner.
"Prates and Morales will fight, determine who is the true, worthy contender and I will fight [the winner]," he said.
He will observe Ramadan in February and March and plans to return in the second quarter of 2027.
THE RECORD
Makhachev is 29-1 and has won 17 UFC fights in a row, the longest streak in UFC history. He is a former lightweight champion and won the welterweight title from Jack Della Maddalena last November. Many rank him the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
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