Islam Makhachev says he is ready to return in July, but his next fight is still not formally set because the UFC has not sent him an official contract. The 32-year-old said he is in training camp and waiting for the agreement that would lock in his comeback.
That is why interest around the Islam Makhachev next fight has turned sharp now. He is ready to move, but he made clear that readiness alone does not put a bout on the books. As he put it, a fighter cannot simply join the next tournament because he wants to; the UFC has to send a contract, and both sides have to agree.
Makhachev said he would accept a fight once the paperwork arrives, but for now he has nothing to sign. He said, in effect, that there is no contract yet and asked what he is supposed to accept without one. He also said the choice is not his to make, because the decision depends on UFC management.
He said his health is not the obstacle. Makhachev said he has no serious injuries at the moment, though he does carry an old hand issue. Even so, he said the hand problem is not enough to cancel or delay a fight and that he would wait until after his career ends to have surgery.
The missing piece is the opponent. Makhachev said he does not know who he will face next, and that Ian Garry or Morales are being discussed as possible candidates. That leaves the fight in the space between readiness and booking: a return window is there, the camp is underway, but the official contract that turns discussion into an actual UFC bout has not arrived.
