PHILADELPHIA – Islam Makhachev achieved history Saturday with a record-breaking performance at UFC 330 and he already has his sights set on extending it.
"I feel happy," Makhachev told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference at Xfinity Mobile Arena. "... Hard fight. It was good fight, good opponent. Now, it's no more Anderson Silva. It's Islam Makhachev's record. I like this."
Makhachev (29-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) defeated Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision to break Anderson Silva's consecutive UFC winning streak record. He's wasting no time in trying to turn around and run up the lead. Ramadan begins in February, so Makhachev is aiming to compete before then.
"Bro, we have to fight before Ramadan – 100 percent," Makhachev
said. "Of course, January or before end of the year, I have to fight. Because I am not like 20-something. I am 34 years old. I have to fight as soon as possible because I'm not cutting much weight. I don't have any big injuries. I will maybe double-check my nose. That's it."
It's unclear whether Carlos Prates or Michael Morales will be next. Regardless of opponent, Makhachev expects to continue to build on the legacy of his late coach and mentor, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
The win for Makhachev on Saturday was win No. 100 between himself, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Umar Nurmagomedov. There's no sign of the gym stopping pumping out the prospects any time soon.
"We don't talk about this, but we're still the best team in the world," Makhachev said. "... We have a lot of killers in the gym who are watching our fights, who are watching our careers, and still training every day. Abdulmanap's legacy still growing. Too many fighters are going to come from our gym."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Islam Makhachev reveals ideal return timeline after UFC 330, reacts to breaking record
