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

The post that stopped the division

Islam Makhachev did not need a press conference to change the conversation around the UFC welterweight division. On Friday, 30 October 2026, the champion posted a short message on X that landed like a farewell note — even though, on a closer reading, it was not quite that.

"My next fight is one of the last in my career. So I want to face the best of them and prove to the world once again who is the best in world," Makhachev wrote.

The wording matters. He did not say his next fight would be his last, only that it would be one of the last. That leaves room for more than one more appearance, but it also makes the direction unmistakable: the 35-year-old former lightweight king, now the UFC welterweight champion, is publicly thinking about the end of his career.

"They say Prates is too dangerous for me and Morales is too good for me," he added — a challenge, not a complaint. Whoever emerges as the genuine contender, Makhachev wants that man next.

A unification fight is already waiting

Makhachev's next fight is set to be a unification bout against the winner of Carlos Prates versus Michael Morales, who will contest the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 in January on the Toronto card. The winner earns a direct route to undisputed gold — and a place in the closing chapter of a remarkable career.

The interim title exists because Makhachev will not be on that January card. Prates had originally been expected to face him next, after the champion defended his 170lbs throne against Ian Machado Garry in August. Instead, Makhachev informed the UFC this month that he would not be ready for Toronto, despite suggesting after that win that he wanted a quick turnaround. The UFC therefore created an interim title fight, keeping the division moving. Exactly when the unification bout happens is not yet confirmed.

From "beat all records" to "one of the last"

The contrast with August is striking. Many fans believed Makhachev would call it quits after he fought Machado Garry at UFC 330, and he dismissed that talk bluntly before the fight.

"Somebody put out fake news that I'm gonna retire after this fight," Makhachev said. "No, it's not true. I want to keep going. The feeling when you're staying in shape, becoming [the] best fighter, is [an] amazing thing. You're never gonna find something like this outside the sport. I want to keep fighting, and we will beat all records and stay here for more years."

His first defence of the welterweight title, against Machado Garry in August 2026, only strengthened that case. By outpointing Machado Garry, Makhachev broke Anderson Silva's 16-fight record for the longest win streak in UFC history. He is 29-1 in professional MMA, with a 17-1 UFC record since joining the promotion in 2015.

Friday's post should not be read as a sudden loss of ambition. It is the opposite: Makhachev is narrowing his remaining fights to the biggest possible tests, rather than stretching his career out against lesser opposition.

Why the UFC moved on without him in January

UFC president Dana White discussed Makhachev's UFC 336 absence the previous weekend, and his frustration was clear. White said Makhachev had been slated for January before changing course over Ramadan timing.

"On average, Islam fights like once a year," White remarked. "He was slated for January and then said, 'I don't want to fight until Ramadan.' You just can't hold up divisions like this. You gotta keep moving. This fight [Prates vs Morales] makes sense."

A title picture cannot stand still while its champion is unavailable, and an interim title keeps contenders active while a clear challenger emerges. When Makhachev returns, it will not be for a routine defence. It will be to unify the titles against a man who has just won a championship fight of his own.

Prates or Morales: two very different dangers

Prates and Morales offer contrasting threats, which is why Makhachev named them both. Prates has earned recent finishes of former UFC champions Jack Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards to earn his first-career title shot, according to BJPenn. Morales is undefeated and earned his title opportunity after finishing Sean Brady and Gilbert Burns earlier in his career.

Either man would arrive at a unification fight with momentum and an interim belt, knowing Makhachev has chosen this fight, not merely accepted it. A unification win for Makhachev would add another defining victory to a career already built on them. A loss would hand the division to a new champion at the very moment its long-reigning star says his time is nearly up.

What "one of the last" really means

Makhachev is the protege of MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in 2020, and the parallels will not be lost on fans. Makhachev has not announced a retirement date, a farewell fight, or a number of bouts remaining. He has simply told the world that the end is now part of his planning.

That is why the reaction has been so strong. Champions rarely volunteer a countdown, even a vague one. By doing so, Makhachev has turned his next fight into something more than a title defence: a statement about legacy, timing, and how a great career should finish. He is not asking for an easy exit. He is asking for the best available opponent — and one more chance to prove, as he put it, who is the best in the world.