Makhachev says his mother wants him to retire and "soon I will obey her word

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev says his mother has always opposed his fighting career, and that he will soon do what she asks. He told Red Corner MMA at the SAMBO World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in an interview reported on Friday by MMA Fighting and MMA Junkie.

"My mother has always been against me fighting," he said. He added: "I've always listened to my mother, so soon I will obey her word."

He did not announce a retirement. Asked how many fights he has left, he said, "There's no number," and added, "I am just reaching the finish line." The UFC had not commented as of Friday.

Makhachev, 35, was in Tashkent as a guest, not to compete. On Thursday, FIAS president Vasily Shestakov gave him and Fedor Emelianenko SAMBO ambassador credentials, MiddleEasy reported.

How it fits with what he has said before

Friday's comments follow a post on X on October 30, quoted by Cageside Press: "My next fight is one of the last in my career." That wording leaves room for more than one fight, and in Tashkent he again declined to put a number on it.

His mother's view isn't new. In June he said they had been having this conversation "for many years now," according to LowKick MMA. He said she told him a sambo world title was "enough." She also brings up Khabib Nurmagomedov: "Khabib listened to his mother, but you don't want to listen." She has not spoken publicly herself.

Makhachev's mentor retired at 29-0 after beating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on October 24, 2020. He had promised his mother he wouldn't fight on without his late father. The UFC tried to talk him into one more fight before Dana White accepted the retirement in March 2021, according to Wikipedia. In August 2025, Khabib said Makhachev had one to two years left, MMA Junkie noted.

The title picture

Makhachev is 29-1, and 18-1 in the UFC, with 17 straight wins. He defended the lightweight title four times, a division record, then vacated it in June 2025. He took the welterweight belt from Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last November. He outpointed Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in August, according to Wikipedia.

Dana White said Makhachev was slated to face Carlos Prates at UFC 336 on January 30. The fight didn't happen, and the accounts don't line up. White said Makhachev didn't want to fight until after Ramadan, Heavy reported. UFC officials said he couldn't make the January date.

His coach, Javier Mendez, told Submission Radio, "There was never, ever a match set on our end," per Heavy. Makhachev has said he wanted Prates and Morales to fight first to settle the contender, according to MMA Junkie.

Instead, Prates (24-7) meets the unbeaten Michael Morales (19-0) for the interim title at UFC 336 in Toronto, Cageside Press reported. The winner is in line to be Makhachev's next challenger, MMA Fighting reported, though no date is set. In Tashkent, Makhachev said both men "deserve a title shot," yet also said, "I don't see any new names."

How he has done as a bet

Our fighter page has closing odds for 11 of his UFC fights, all since 2021. He won all 11, every one as the favourite. His longest closing price was −180, against Charles Oliveira in October 2022. He closed at −345 against Machado Garry.

Backing him at the closing price in all 11 fights returned +2.77 units, about 25% per fight. The prices implied roughly 8.5 wins, so he beat the market's expectations by about two and a half fights.

We think the Prates–Morales winner gets his next fight, and it may be one of his last. He has now talked about the end of his career twice in a week, and he hasn't named any other opponent.