Islam Makhachev could have very little left to prove if he defeats Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, and Joe Rogan believes the reigning welterweight champion could even walk away from the sport.
Makhachev will make his first welterweight title defense against Garry in Saturday’s main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The 34-year-old enters the matchup with a 28-1 professional record and has already captured UFC championships in two weight classes.
The Dagestani’s resume includes wins over Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier, and Jack Della Maddalena, while his career has been built largely around his elite grappling. A victory over Garry would also give him the chance to move ahead of Anderson Silva for the longest winning streak in UFC history.
Rogan believes another dominant performance could convince Makhachev that there is nothing more he needs to accomplish inside the Octagon.
“We’ll see what happens. Islam may retire,” Rogan said on The Joe Rogan Experience. “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.”
The UFC commentator could see Makhachev following the same path as his longtime mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired undefeated and eventually focused on coaching.
“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,” Rogan said.
If Makhachev does walk away, Rogan already has an idea for how the UFC could determine his successor. Michael Morales is expected to serve as the official backup for the UFC 330 main event, while Carlos Prates is also among the division’s top contenders.
“And then I could see Morales and Prates for the f*cking undisputed title,” Rogan added.
