UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev has stated that he’s down to the last few fights of his decorated career.

Makhachev’s declaration comes after it emerged that he had opted not to headline January’s UFC 336 event against knockout artist Carlos Prates.

Having previously also indicated that he didn’t intend to fight during the month of Ramadan, which begins in February, that resulted in the UFC coming up with an alternative solution, with Prates now booked to fight Michael Morales for the interim 170lb title at the show instead.

Now it seems that the 35-year-old Makhachev has felt the need to take to social media to give some insight into his thinking.

“My next fight is one of the last in my career,” Makhachev said on X.

“They say [Carlos] Prates is too dangerous for me and [Michael] 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 world.”

It’s understandable that Makhachev isn’t in a rush to return to the Octagon as the reality is that he doesn’t have anything to prove to anyone at this stage in his career.

After all, he’s already the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport on a remarkable 17-fight winning streak in the Octagon that includes winning both the UFC’s lightweight and welterweight titles with five total title defenses to his name.

So, he’s entitled to be patient and whether it’s Prates or Morales who he eventually ends up facing, that’s going to be a fight that everyone will be eager to see.