Islam Makhachev Says Next Fight Will Be 'One of the Last' of His Career

Islam Makhachev has stopped talking like a champion with an open-ended schedule.

In a Friday post on X, the UFC welterweight champion said his next title defense will be "one of the last" fights of his career. He wants the tougher winner of Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, who meet for the interim belt at UFC 336.

"My next fight is one of the last in my career," Makhachev wrote. "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."

The line stops short of a retirement date. Makhachev did not say his next fight will be his last or put a number on how many remain. Still, it is the clearest public acknowledgment yet that the 35-year-old is counting down.

A much shorter runway than he described in August

The wording lands because it is different from what Makhachev said after beating Ian Machado Garry in August. Back then, after setting the UFC record with his 17th consecutive victory, he said he believed he had "at least three more spectacular and very tough fights" ahead of him.

Those two statements can fit together. Three fights would still qualify as the final stretch of a career. But the tone has changed. In August, Makhachev was discussing records he might chase. Now he is openly describing the end.

Makhachev is 29-1 and has already held UFC titles at lightweight and welterweight. His August decision over Garry was his first defense at 170 pounds and moved him past Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history, according to BBC Sport. There is no obvious record he must stay to collect.

The next opponent is already being selected

The UFC has officially booked Prates against Morales for the interim welterweight title on January 30, 2027, at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The promotion says the winner earns the right to face Makhachev.

Prates enters that fight after three straight knockouts, while Morales is 19-0. Makhachev previously argued that they should fight each other rather than wait in line separately. His new post adds another layer: whoever wins may get one of the last chances anyone has to beat him.

Makhachev did not promise that the UFC 336 winner will be his final opponent. There is no farewell event, and the UFC has not announced a date for the unification bout. Anything more exact is guesswork.

Why this feels more serious than ordinary retirement talk

Elite fighters mention retirement all the time, especially when contracts, injuries or title bookings are unsettled. Makhachev's statement was unusually direct and came from his own account. It also followed a concrete booking that defines his next challenger.

That makes the message harder to dismiss as a stray interview answer. Makhachev chose the words, published them himself and tied them to the winner of a specific fight.

For Prates and Morales, UFC 336 was already a title fight and a route to the undisputed champion. Now it may carry a deadline. Makhachev has not told the sport exactly when he will leave, but for the first time he has said plainly that the finish line is close.