Islam Makhachev Says He's Not Retiring After UFC 330, Loves Being Champ

Islam Makhachev is shutting down any retirement talk ahead of his UFC 330 title defense against Ian Garry.

The welterweight champ chopped it up with Babcock this week and made it crystal clear ... he's not walking away anytime soon, showing no hesitation at all when asked about potentially laying his gloves down in the Octagon.

"No, no, no. I told you I like to be UFC champion and we're still going."

Makhachev -- who is 34 years old -- doubled down when asked whether there was a set age or timeline for when he would walk away.

"It's not about numbers, about age. It's about your health, how you feel," Islam said.

"Not everybody can feel the same at 34. That's why I feel great. No injuries. I still enjoy the sports, you know. That's why we will fight again. You will see me many more times."

Makhachev hasn't shown any signs of slowing -- in fact, he may just be getting more dominant -- but Joe Rogan recently speculated he could hang 'em up with an impressive performance against Ian Garry.

"Islam may retire," Rogan said on JRE. "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. 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."

As for the challenger, Makhachev gave Garry props.

"I respect him. Number one contenders cannot be bad," the champ said. "He's good, a good striker, he has some skills, wrestling defense. He has good grappling defense. He's good, he's a real contender and a real one who I want to beat."

Looking further down the road, Islam also shared a personal goal for whenever the end does come ... fighting at home.

"I love to fight in Russia because it's my country. Everybody supports me there and everybody wants to watch my fight again in Russia. That's why I want to also finish my career there."