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Islam Makhachev is not talking like a man ready to toss the gloves on the table and disappear into Dagestan sunset mode. The fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov once pushed as the best in the world says there is still real work waiting in front of him, and the line is already forming like it knows the bouncer. Here is the clip making the rounds: Islam Makhachev says he believes he has at least three more “very hard and exciting fights” left in his career. — Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) August 25, 2026 Makhachev Explains Which Records Remain Within Reach The 55-second interview clip was recorded in Russian. In translated remarks, Makhachev first rejected the idea that his new consecutive-win mark could never be surpassed. “No record is unbreakable.” He said other UFC fighters are already building winning streaks of roughly 10 bouts. He then considered the record for championship fights, but explained why that target is especially difficult for someone who needed a long climb before receiving a title opportunity. “I fought 10 bouts before getting the title.” Makhachev contrasted that route with record holders who entered championship fights in their third or fourth UFC appearances. Although he did not name another specific record to pursue, he said the current welterweight field gives him several demanding assignments. “I think I have at least three more spectacular and very tough fights ahead.” Makhachev, 34, is coming off a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, a result that kept his 170-pound title safe and pushed his championship record deeper into rare-air territory. The retirement noise has followed him because Khabib walked away at 29-0 while still young enough to keep bullying people for years, but Makhachev is not using that same exit ramp yet. The Champion Is Not Walking Out Yet The key part is not just that Makhachev wants more fights. It is that he sees a minimum number, and it is not one quick cash-out. He pointed to at least three more difficult title-level assignments still sitting on the board, which is very different from a champion trying to take a soft victory lap. That matters because welterweight has fresh traffic. Makhachev already had to deal with Garry, and the division has enough ambitious bodies nearby to make every title defense feel like somebody is trying to kick the door off the hinges. Even years before this welterweight chapter, opponents and observers were arguing about which tests should come next for him, and that has not slowed down one bit. Makhachev also has the strangest kind of pressure, the kind that comes from being great enough that every fight turns into a history argument. He is unbeaten in UFC title fights, has already dealt with a long list of elite problems, and now has to keep answering whether he is chasing records, legacy, or just the next poor soul stuck across from him under the lights. The Khabib comparison is still going to hover over all of this. Makhachev’s wrestling, control, and cold-blooded pacing are why he keeps popping up whenever people argue about the best UFC wrestlers ever, but his own career is no longer just an extension of anybody else’s shadow. He has his own belt, his own streak, and now his own countdown. So the takeaway is pretty simple. Makhachev is not done, the welterweight contenders are not imaginary, and the UFC does not need to manufacture drama here. If he really has three more hard title fights left, that is enough violence on the calendar to keep the whole division sweating.