According to Islam Makhachev, the UFC asked him if he would be willing to defend his welterweight title for the first time in January 2026, and Makhachev declined the offer.
Earlier this year, after the fourth defense of his 155-pound championship at UFC 311, Makhachev vacated the throne and moved up to welterweight in search of glory in two divisions.
At UFC 322, the Dagestani phenom aligned himself with then-champion Jack Della Maddalena and dethroned the Australian by dominating him on the mat and cruising to a unanimous decision victory. Notably, Makhachev had over 19 minutes of ground control time against ‘JDM’.
After Islam Makhachev became a two-division champion and also regained his P4P throne, several welterweight contenders expressed interest in fighting him. The list includes Ian Machado Garry, Shavkat Rakhmonov, Carlos Prates, Michael Morales and Kamaru Usman.
Makhachev, on the other hand, expressed interest in fighting former champion Usman and believes ‘The Nigerian Nightmare’ is his toughest challenge.
Islam Makhachev wants to fight after Ramadan 2026
In a recent interview with Ushatayka, When asked about his next fight, Islam Makhachev revealed that he was offered a fight in January, which he turned down. Makhachev stated that he wants to return after Ramadan 2026 and also expressed interest in the UFC White House Card.
“I don’t know yet, but I was offered a fight in January. I think January is an impossible date because I was already in camp for three months, and they called me in December. They said, ‘You’re going to fight in January.’ I said it was already too late. I had to leave for camp and be ready for January. I told them I definitely won’t fight in January. I think it will definitely be after Ramadan. April, May, June. If they want to wait and put it in the White House, then I will wait. If not, I can fight sooner.”
Makhachev was also asked to name the opponent he would face in January, and whether it was rumored to be Kamaru Usman. The 34-year-old added:
“They didn’t tell me the name, but to be honest I think so [Michael] Morality. That’s my opinion. They didn’t say the name; they just asked if I would fight in January or not. I don’t think so [my opponent was Kamaru Usman].”
Watch Islam Makhachev’s comments below:
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