Joe Rogan believes Saturday’s UFC 330 main event could be the last time Islam Makhachev fights, and he already has a plan for who should fill the vacancy.
The show is headlined by Makhachev defending the UFC welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Rogan will be cageside, and he says a big retirement could be in the works depending on the result.
Speaking on the latest JRE MMA Show from The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Aljamain Sterling, the 59-year-old commentator predicted that Makhachev could follow in the footsteps of Khabib Nurmagomedov with a successful title defense against Garry.
Nurmagomedov retired on top and is currently focused on working with the present and future of the industry, including the reigning UFC welterweight champion. Rogan believes the 34-year-old Makhachev (28-1) could retire if he leaves Philadelphia as champion.
Islam may retire. He may retire. He’s done a lot. He’s competed in two different weight classes and won world championships in two different weight classes. If he beats Ian, if he submits Ian and says, ‘I’ve had enough, I’m going to do what Khabib did, and I’m going to coach now,’ I could see that. And then I could see [Michael] Morales and [Carlos] Prates for the [expletive] undisputed title,” Rogan said.
Morales was tasked with backup duties for Saturday’s UFC 330 main event, further solidifying his spot in the championship chase. A win for Makhachev would add another line to his resume, giving him title-fight victories in two weight classes.
