Islam Makhachev Gets Brutally Honest About His Historic UFC Championship Run

Current UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev has had the opportunity to smell the roses on what has already been a legendary UFC career. A winner of 17 consecutive fights, a UFC record, Makhachev recognizes that his MMA career could be coming to an end sooner rather than later.

In an interview with Red Corner MMA, Makhachev described the pressure he has faced since becoming a two-division champion during a four-year stretch. Now, with his sole focus on retaining the welterweight strap going strong, he is focusing on the would-be three remaining fights of his career.

🚨👀 Islam Makhachev says he has at least three more exciting and hard fights left in his MMA career, and is not sure what other records he can break.

“No record is unbreakable. There are fighters out there who are getting closer, they have 10 or more wins [in a row]. I don’t… pic.twitter.com/lEWoBjQyTt
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 25, 2026

“No record is unbreakable," Makhachev said of his accomplishments. "There are fighters out there who are getting closer; they have 10 or more wins [in a row]."

Makhachev disclosed the grind he needed to endure to get to his first title fight, which, in turn, made him a much more dominant eventual champion at lightweight.

Islam Makhachev Chronicles Breaking UFC Record

Islam Makhachev after UFC 330. — Aug 15, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Islam Makhachev (red gloves) celebrates after defeating Ian Machado Garry (blue gloves) in the welterweight title bout during UFC 330 at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

"I don’t know, maybe the title fights record?" Makhachev added. "But it’s a hard one to beat. I had 10 fights before my first title fight."

Now, with Makhachev reigning supreme at the top of MMA, his intentions for what's left of his career are clear.

"What I know is there are very good title contenders in my division, so I have at least three more very hard and exciting fights waiting for me," Makhachev said.

Makhachev admitted that breaking records while simultaneously focusing on retaining his championship is easier said than done, especially considering the dominance of former two-division champion Jon Jones.

"The one who holds the record [Jon Jones] had the title in his third or fourth fight," Makhachev said. "So I don’t know what records will come next."

UFC CEO Dana White Takes Firm Islam Makhachev Stance

UFC CEO Dana White was quick to admit, following Makhachev's win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, that should Makhachev win three more fights to reach 20 victories, the argument for pound-for-pound status would be officially dead.

"If he keeps going like he says he's going to keep going, I mean, it might never be beaten, at least while I'm alive," White told reporters. "So it's very impressive what he did."

White wasn't ready to categorize him as the greatest MMA fighter of all time, at least not yet.

"Well, I don't know what your opinion is, meaning all of you, but, you know, if he didn't have that one loss on his record, it would almost be a no-brainer," White said of Makhachev. "And this kid wants to fight all the time. He stays active, and after tonight and what he did tonight, he talks about three, four more fights, so I think what you do is you just let this guy's career play out.

For the time being, Makhachev can sit back and wait for his next fight, preferably before the year is over or early next year.

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