UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier believes there’s more to the story behind Islam Makhachev’s retirement timeline.
UFC superstar Islam Makhachev‘s legendary career could be coming to an abrupt end after a few more appearances in the Octagon.
Makhachev’s longtime coach, American Kickboxing Academy’s Javier Mendez, made headlines this week when he proposed that Makhachev has three fights left in his career. The comments come just months before Makhachev is expected to challenge Jack Della Maddalena for the UFC welterweight title, after vacating the lightweight belt at UFC 317.
If Mendez’s comments are proven true, it’ll mark a similar end to Makhachev’s career to that of his longtime friend and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov walked away after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, at the height of his fame and fortune.
Daniel Cormier reacts to Islam Makhachev’s longtime coach’s retirement revelation
If Makhachev is serious about retirement after three more appearances in the Octagon, it’ll mark another key UFC roster loss at a time in which the promotion is struggling to produce new superstars. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, Makhachev’s longtime teammate, believes Makhachev’s retirement will hurt the sport moving forward.
In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Cormier reacted to his former coach’s recent remarks about Makhachev’s fighting future.
“Islam Makhachev might have three fights, including Jack Della Maddalena. That right there is where our energy should be spent as Islam fans,” Cormier said of Makhachev.
“How in the world does it feel like another dominant champion may be saying ‘It’s about time’? Why? He’s young, he’s a world champ, he’s dominating, getting the opportunity to become a double champ.
“I think we’re in a time right now, in fighting, that for me as a fan is very sad,” Cormier continued. “It’s scary to me, because I know, knowing these guys, the only saving grace right now is that someone else is saying it for him and he has not said that himself. If Islam comes out and tells us ‘I’ve got three fights left’, we gotta lock in. We saw Khabib do it, and he never looked back.
“That should be worrisome to us as Mixed Martial Arts fans. We have so many more fights we want to see. We want to see him against Jack Della, we want to see him against Usman, and Ilia Topuria. It’s crazy!”
Makhachev hasn’t fought since finishing Renato Moicano in the UFC 311 main event in January. He was supposed to face Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 before the title challenger withdrew on hours’ notice due to injury.
Fans clamored for Makhachev to face Ilia Topuria in his next lightweight title defense, before the champion opted to vacate the belt in favor of a welterweight move. Topuria will fight Charles Oliveira, Makhachev’s former rival, in the UFC 317 main event later this month.
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Islam Makhachev could walk away after earning accolade Khabib Nurmagomedov couldn’t
If Makhachev earns a second title and dethrones Maddalena, he’ll separate himself from Nurmagomedov and others in the UFC GOAT conversation. Nurmagomedov entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022 alongside Cormier and has remained adamant in his retirement stance.
But fighting Maddalena will be arguably the toughest test of Makhachev’s career so far, as he looks to fight in a new weight class against a formidable challenge. Maddalena beat up Belal Muhammad to earn the UFC welterweight title last month at UFC 315.
But Makhachev’s undefeated teammate recently told Bloody Elbow that he could return to lightweight at a later date, depending on how his welterweight ambitions play out. When Makhachev announced his move to welterweight, he hinted at wanting to see ‘a new contender emerge’ in the lightweight division.