Dominance MMA manager, Ali Abdelaziz has ruled out a soon retirement for soon-to-be former lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, claiming the Russian has no plans to hang up his gloves within the next three years at least.
Makhachev, who is poised for a welterweight divisional move later this year, will vacate his undisputed lightweight crown ahead of the main event of UFC 317 next weekend during International Fight Week.
Seeing former foe, Charles Oliveira set to take on long-time rival, Ilia Topuria in a vacant title fight, Makhachev has made his intentions clear.
Expected to take on the newly crowned, Jack Della Maddalena before the end of the annum, Islam Makhachev has been backed to fight the Australian star as soon as October is all falls into line.
“I think it’ll [the fight] be in the US, probably October/November,” Jack Della Maddalena said of his fight with Islam Makhachev on The Grin Reapers podcast. “They [the UFC] were meant to have a Mexico PPV, but I think it’s all changed. Now it’s early October in Vegas.”
Islam Makhachev not planning retirement soon
Chasing his second Octagon crown, Makhachev certainly has no intentions to call time on his decorated combat sports career — with his manager claiming the pound-for-pound number one plans to fight for at least three more years.
“Islam Makhachev nothing thinking about retirement at least three more years of high-level competition,” Ali Abdelaziz posted on his official X account tonight.”
At the tail end of last year, too, Makhachev claimed age will never prove a factor in his decision to retire from combat sports, pointing to the age of former world champion Artur Beterbiev after his title ascension against Dmitry Bivol in their first title fight last year.
“I wouldn’t say it’s that bad; if I feel like I have stopped [developing] then that’s it, I have to quit,” he told ‘Yukah MMA’, before being asked whether he has a specific retirement age in mind.
“No [there is no age in mind], I don’t associate anything with age… [Artur] Beterbiev is 39 years old, and he’s the best boxer in the world. Years are not the limit. I don’t have any [title] numbers at all [in mind].”
“I train with a lot of young guys in the gym, if I see that I can’t keep up, that they are catching up with me, overtaking me, then why should I torture myself? I’ll stop [then].
“But that’s not the case yet, I feel like I am on a roll. Now everyone wants to take it [my belt] away, I can’t slow down.”
