UFC champion Islam Makhachev says next fight will be among his last

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has announced that his next fight will be one of the last of his mixed martial arts career, Al Jazeera, CBS Sports, and BBC Sport all reported. The Russian fighter posted on X on Friday night that he intends to face the winner of an upcoming bout between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales to demonstrate who is the best in the world. [1][2][3]

The prospective opponents, Brazil's Carlos Prates and Ecuador's Michael Morales, are scheduled to fight for the interim welterweight championship at UFC 336 in Toronto on Jan. 30, according to CBS Sports and BBC Sport. CBS Sports noted that Makhachev aims to unify the welterweight titles against the winner of that bout. [2][3]

BBC Sport reported that the 35-year-old Russian defeated Ian Machado Garry in August to defend his welterweight title, marking his 17th consecutive victory in the UFC. That win allowed him to surpass Anderson Silva's 13-year record for the longest winning streak in UFC history, according to BBC Sport. Al Jazeera noted that Makhachev holds a career record of 29 wins and one loss. [1][3]

Makhachev is a former UFC Lightweight Champion who signed with the promotion in October 2014 and made his debut in May 2015 [8, 9]. He trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California, under coach Javier Mendez and maintains a close association with mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov [9]. [8][9]