Islam Makhachev‘s abrupt withdrawal from the UFC’s January marquee event has prompted many to criticize him. Eventually, some raised doubts over Dagestani’s status as a UFC GOAT. However, the man who replaced Makhachev to headline the event didn’t share the same perspective.

According to the social media account DovySimu MMA, Joshua Van, who is headlining UFC 336 against Manel Kape, joined Laura Sanko for an interview. During the conversation, the reigning UFC flyweight champion argued that people were quick to change their tune about Makhachev’s career after one pullout incident. 

“The guy has done everything he needs in the sport,” Van said. “What’s even the point of fighting anymore, but the way people go from calling him the GOAT after beating Ian Garry to this is something else, Man”   

Joshua Van sounded very disappointed with people for dismissing Islam Makhachev’s GOAT status over a single withdrawal, especially considering the achievements the Dagestani has accomplished in the sport.

In the lightweight division, Islam Makhachev surpassed Khabib Nurmagomedov and Benson Henderson’s record of three title defenses by securing his fourth against Renato Moicano at UFC 311. That victory eventually earned him a shot at becoming a double champion against Jack Della Maddalena.

The Dagestani passed that test with flying colors, defeating Maddalena by unanimous decision at UFC 322 to become the 11th two-division champ in the promotion’s history.

The 35-year-old also further cemented his legacy by surpassing Anderson Silva’s record of 16 consecutive wins, defeating Ian Garry to secure his 17th straight victory at UFC 330 in August 2026.

The 35-year-old’s latest victory further pushed him towards greatness and invited comparisons with Jon Jones, who’s arguably the UFC GOAT. However, Makhachev’s decision not to fight in three months affected that perception.

The reigning featherweight champ was projected to defend his title at UFC 336 against Carlos Prates on January 30, 2027, in Canada. However, reports of Makhachev pulling out from the bout flooded social media in late October.

During the UFC 333 broadcast, UFC announced that Carlos Prates and Michael Morales will fight for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 as the co-main event. That update confirmed Makhachev was in UFC’s plan to headline the spectacle.

This sequence of events was particularly concerning to Dana White, who exclaimed at the UFC 333 post-fight press conference that Makhachev couldn’t “hold up divisions” like that. The Dagestani subsequently confirmed the reason for his pull out was to find out who deserves to fight him between Prates and Morales.

However, the UFC CEO’s criticism of Islam Makhachev was subtle compared to what Brendan Schaub had to say about the Dagestani.

In a recent episode of the Thiccc Boy podcast, the ex-UFC heavyweight initially argued that Makhachev was not a UFC GOAT. Then, Schaub stirred the pot considerably by claiming that Muslim fighters cause negative effect in the UFC’s business by not fighting during Ramadan.

This seems to be the first time Joshua Van has defended Islam Makhachev from ongoing criticism. However, the flyweight champion is not alone in this regard.

Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo also voiced his support for the welterweight champion, calling it the right move not to fight in January. 

While Islam Makhachev’s decision has left the MMA world divided, the Dagestani has also hinted at his plans for the final phase of his career. 

Islam Makhachev shares thoughts about retirement   

Every illustrious career must eventually come to an end, and Islam Makhachev feels his time in the UFC is drawing closer. In a social media post, the reigning welterweight champion revealed that his next fight could be one of the final bouts of his career, which also explains his desire to face the winner of the Prates vs. Morales matchup.

“My next fight is one of the last in my career,” Makhachev wrote on X. “They say Prates is too dangerous for me and Morales is too good for me. So I want to face the best of them and prove to the world once again who is the best in the world.”

Makhachev didn’t disclose how many fights he has in mind before finally laying down his gloves. However, his head coach, Javier Mendez, told Red Corner MMA in January that he has two or three fights left. If we consider three, Makhachev has already used up one by beating Ian Garry at UFC 330.

Because the Dagestani champion is approaching the end of his UFC run, he has become a little picky about his next opponent while adding to his legacy. That factor was evident in his recent verbal exchange with Prates. 

That said, with Islam Makhachev facing both praise and criticism, it would be interesting to see whether he responds to them or lets his actions answer with another title defense sometime next year.