UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev revealed shocking career news on a social media post on Friday afternoon.
Makhachev, the UFC welterweight champ and the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, was supposed to defend his title against Carlos Prates in the main event of UFC 336 in January, but he declined to fight Prates on that date, and instead, the UFC booked an interim welterweight title bout between Prates and Michael Morales.
We haven’t heard much from Makhachev other than he wants those two to fight to determine the next No. 1 contender — or, in this case, crown an interim champ — for his belt, and he will fight them next.
That fight, he now says, will be one of the last in his MMA career.
Islam Makhachev Nearing UFC Retirement
Taking to his social media on Friday afternoon, Makhachev dropped a bombshell by announcing his next fight will be among his last.
“My next fight is one of the last in my career. 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 world,” Makhachev wrote on his X.
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 world.
Islam Makhachev Following in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Footsteps
Makhachev is the best P4P fighter in the world right now, so he doesn’t need to retire. Even if he lost his next fight against the winner of Prates vs. Morales, no one would be asking him to hang up his gloves.
Instead, he is choosing to go out on his own terms and follow the lead of his long-time friend and teammate, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who also retired at the height of his mixed martial arts career.
In Nurmagomedov’s case, it was a promise to his family that he would retire from fighting, while in Makhachev’s case, we don’t know his exact motivations.
While Makhachev has not committed to this next fight being his last, it does feel like the end is near, as he has one foot out the door and is hinting that he will be retiring soon.
Islam Makhachev Reveals Shocking UFC Career News