UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev says his next fight will be “one of the last” as he targets the winner of Carlos Prates vs Michael Morales.
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UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has suggested that his next fight could be among the last of his career, telling fans on X on Friday night: “My next fight is one of the last in my career.”
The Russian-born Dagestani fighter said he wants to face the winner of the upcoming bout between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales, describing it as a chance to prove “who is the best” to the world.
Makhachev said, “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.”
His comments come after he successfully defended his UFC welterweight championship in August, defeating Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
That win extended Makhachev’s winning streak to 17 consecutive fights, surpassing UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva’s 16-fight run set from 2006 to 2013.
Prates vs Morales is scheduled for Jan. 30, 2027, as the interim welterweight title fight and the co-main event of UFC 336 in Toronto, Canada, a pairing that Makhachev now appears to be aiming toward.
UFC CEO Dana White said earlier this month that Makhachev was originally slated to defend his title against Prates in January, but the fighter chose to wait for the winner of the interim title bout between Prates and Morales.
White also said Makhachev will observe Ramadan in February and early March in 2027 before returning in the second quarter of the year, adding: “On average, Islam fights like once a year.”
Discussing the Prates–Morales fight, Makhachev said the matchup will decide “the true, worthy contender.”
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