Islam Makhachev says his next fight will be ‘one of the last’: How much has the UFC Champions earned over his 11-year long career?

UFC champion Islam Makhachev is hinting at retiring. The Russian MMA fighter posted on X, saying “My next fight is one of the last in my career”. This comes just months after Makhachev beat Ian Machado Garry to defend his welterweight title in August 2026.

The 35-year-old fighter is scheduled to fight either Carlos Prates and Michael Morales next. Talking about those fights, Makhachev had earlier said he wants to prove “who is the best” in the world. Makhachev is in a great point of his illustrious career, with recently extending his winning streak to 17. With that he has also passed UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva’s 16-consecutive fight mark, which he set from 2006 to 2013.

Makhachev said, “They say Prates is too dangerous for me and 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 the world.” Prates and Morales are scheduled to fight on January 30, 2027, in Canada. Makhachev aims to fight whoever wins that bout. According to BBC, Prates had won the last three of his fights by knockout, while Morales has won all 19 of his professional fights.

Makhachev began competing in MMA at 16

Makhachev debuted in the Russian regional circuit in 2010 at just 16 years old. He started competing in the UFC in 2015 and now competes in the welterweight division. Makhachev has also won the title for the UFC Lightweight division.

He holds multiple UFC lightweight records, including the longest winning streak with 14 wins and the most title-fight victoria, which he has won five of. Before starting out in the UFC, Makhachev also competed as an international Sambo athlete where he won the gold in the 74kg category.

Also read: Less than 1% of Caitlin Clark’s income comes from her WNBA salary: Here’s a look at the endorsements that help her earn $12 million annually

Makhachev reportedly holds a $6 million net worth

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Makhachev has an estimated net worth of about $6 million. His earnings are primarily driven by his UFC fight purses and win bonuses. He also has a long list of endorsement deals and performance awards which add to his revenue.

Makhachev is estimated to have $9,126,500 through his UFC fights, according to UFC Calendar. In his last fight with Machado Garry, he was reportedly paid $776,000 a figure consistent to his per fight pay.

According to the MMA data website, he got $20,000 for his very first UFC fight in 2015, with $10,000 of it coming from his win bonus. His highest payday came in 2023, when he was paid over $2.5 million, with $1,600,000 of it from the purse and the rest as a win bonus, data compiled by UFC Calendar showed.

Makhachev is sponsored by several sportswear brands and others, these include Monster Energy who also sponsor the UFC, Gorilla Energy, YoungLA. He was also named the global ambassador for the International Sambo Federation.

The UFC star reportedly lives in his native place in Russia’s Dagestan and has a massive livestock farm there, Essentially Sports reported. The farm has over 1,000 animals, including sheep and horses. He reportedly maintains a modest living and has not demonstrated any luxury purchases publicly.