UFC’s Makhachev: Next fight will be ‘one of the last’ of career

• Brett OkamotoOct 30, 2026, 04:23 PM ET

  Close

  Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: “Chuck and Tito,” which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.

Open Extended Reactions

Islam Makhachev, the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, is nearing the end of his MMA career.

In a social media post on Friday, Makhachev (29-1) said his next UFC welterweight title defense will be “one of the last.” He is expected to face the winner of an interim title fight between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales on Jan. 30 in Toronto. The 35-year-old will observe the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in February and early March and return in the second quarter of 2027.

“My next fight is one of the last in my career,” Makhachev wrote on 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 [the] world.”

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. https://t.co/bQSw97TzNe

— Makhachev Islam (@MAKHACHEVMMA) October 30, 2026

Earlier this month, UFC CEO Dana White revealed Makhachev was slated to defend his title on Jan. 30 but decided to wait for the winner of an interim title bout. Makhachev has since confirmed that decision, citing his desire for the UFC to establish a true No. 1 contender.

Editor’s Picks

1 Related

“Prates and Morales will fight, determine who is the true, worthy contender and I will fight [the winner],” Makhachev told Russian outlet pound4padel. “They offered me a fight with Prates, who recently lost to [Ian Machado Garry], who I beat. If I beat him, Morales would already be next in line, not fighting and waiting. Just let them fight and we will figure out who is the real challenger.”

The younger teammate and protege of undefeated legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has not discussed the end of his career in detail before. A former lightweight champion, he won the welterweight belt by defeating Jack Della Maddalena in November 2025 and recorded his first defense against Machado Garry in August for his 17th consecutive victory, the longest consecutive win streak in UFC history.

Makhachev picked up his first title — the UFC lightweight belt — by submitting Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October of 2022.

Source: www.espn.com — article syndicated from the publisher’s feed; all rights remain with the original publisher.