Most fighters who want a champion gone try to tear him down first. They call him boring, call him protected, call him a paper champ. Uros Medic did it the other way around, and that’s why his pitch to Islam Makhachev lands harder than the usual callout noise.
On the “Believe You Me” podcast, Medic heaped praise on the welterweight champ and then showed him the door. “I’m a little tired of watching Islam Makhachev winning at the top,” he said, before adding, “I’m not afraid to say he is the best in the division right now.” Then came the line that made every headline: “But if you’re talking or considering retirement, bro, get out.”
I’m with Medic on the principle. I’m also aware he’s got a bag to chase, and I’ll get to that.
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The Resume Backs Up the Compliment
Medic isn’t blowing smoke. Makhachev is 29-1 and has won 17 straight since his only pro loss back in 2015. He defended the lightweight belt four times, moved up to 170 last year, took the title from Jack Della Maddalena and then turned away Ian Garry in August. That’s a career most guys would trade a kidney for, and Medic said as much: “You’ve already accomplished everything.”
So when Medic tells him to go rest, he’s basically saying the same thing the rest of us say when we watch a guy run through a division like it’s the tutorial level of a video game. At some point the dominance gets less interesting than whatever comes next.
The Standard Medic Is Setting Is the Right One
The conditional is the key word here. Medic didn’t say Makhachev is retiring, and nothing in the reporting says Makhachev has announced anything. Medic said if he’s thinking about it, leave. I love that standard, because the worst thing a champion can do to a division is hang around with one foot out the door.
We’ve all watched that movie. A champ gets rich, gets bored, starts treating title defenses like a dentist appointment, and the contenders stack up behind him like cars at a broken toll booth. Nobody wants that at 170, especially with the division already set up for something fun. Carlos Prates and Michael Morales are booked for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 on Jan. 30, 2027, with Makhachev expected to face the winner.
That’s a great fight. Prates against Morales is the kind of matchup that sells itself. But an interim belt only means something if the man holding the real one actually shows up hungry to unify it. If Makhachev’s head is somewhere else, the honorable move is to hand the keys over and let the winner of UFC 336 become the guy. Sherdog summed up Medic’s stance as wanting a change at the top, and that’s a fair read of a man who clearly respects the champ and still wants the line to move.
Medic even gave Makhachev a career counseling session on the way out. “Go be a businessman, go be a politician; he can do everything. He is a smart fellow.” That’s the nicest eviction notice I’ve ever heard. Imagine getting fired by a boss who also writes you a glowing LinkedIn recommendation.
Now Let’s Talk About Medic’s Angle
Of course Medic wants the champ gone. He’s 14-3 and has won four in a row, all by first-round stoppage. A guy on that kind of heater looks at the top of the division and sees a 29-1 wall with 17 straight wins painted on it. Getting that wall to retire voluntarily is a lot more appealing than trying to climb it.
And I don’t hold that against him. Self-interest is the whole business. Fighters who call their shot are my favorite kind of fighter, provided they back it up. Medic’s problem is that he’s talking about the championship picture while he still has real work in front of him. He meets Kevin Holland (29-15, 1 NC) at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 at Madison Square Garden.
Holland has been in there with everybody. Forty-plus pro fights means he’s seen every look imaginable, and he’s exactly the type of veteran who can drag a hot prospect past the first round and into deep water. If Medic stops him early at MSG, his opinion on the welterweight throne carries a lot more weight. If he doesn’t, this podcast clip becomes the thing people play back to him for the next year.
My Verdict
Medic is right, and he’s right for the correct reasons. He gave Makhachev his flowers, didn’t invent fake beef, didn’t pretend the champ is overrated. He simply said a fully checked-in champion is what the division deserves, and a half-retired one should go enjoy his money. That’s a fair ask of anyone holding a belt.
The smartest thing Makhachev could do is ignore it, show up on whatever date the UFC sets after Jan. 30, and beat whoever walks out of UFC 336 with the interim strap. The smartest thing Medic could do is shut up until Nov. 14 and then make a first-round mess of Kevin Holland at the Garden. Five stoppages in a row would give him the right to talk about the champion’s future instead of just his own.
