Main Card
- Islam Makhachev def. Ian Machado Garry via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Welterweight Championship)
- Mackenzie Dern def. Gillian Robertson via Decision, Unanimous (UFC Strawweight Championship)
- Jalin Turner def. Kaue Fernandes via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:39)
- Dustin Stoltzfus def. Mansur Abdul-Malik via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 2, 4:25)
- Esteban Ribovics def. Edson Barboza via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 1:32)
Preliminary Card
- Chidi Njokuani def. Joel Alvarez via Decision, Unanimous
- Charles Johnson def. Eduardo Chapolin via Submission, Scottish Twister (RD 3, 1:36)
- Donte Johnson def. Eric McConico via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:38)
- Tresean Gore def. Vicente Luque via Decision, Unanimous
Early Prelims
- Lucas Fernando def. Rafael Tobias via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 1:10)
- Neil Magny def. Ramiz Brahimaj via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:20)
- Jeremiah Wells def. Myktybek Orolbai via Submission, Standing Ninja Choke (RD 3, 1:24)
Pound-for-pound number-one men’s UFC fighter Islam Makhachev faced one of his toughest challenges to date on Saturday, having to dig deep for a scorecard victory over top welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry.
An early lead, along with a second wind in the championship rounds for Makhachev, did enough to earn him a unanimous decision win over Machado Garry on Saturday night, retaining the UFC Welterweight Championship in the process. Makhachev’s win headlined UFC 330 from the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Makhachev pulled ahead early, leaning on his stellar wrestling skills to bank rounds one and two.
It didn’t take long for Makhachev to get Machado Garry to the mat, taking him down just a minute into the contest. The Irish contender would spend a majority of the opening frame trying to peel the Russian champ off him, not finding any time to do effective work of his own.
A thudding head kick from Makhachev in the second round provided him the opening to take Machado Garry to the mat once again, putting him up by two rounds. With 15 minutes to go, Makhachev needed to earn just one more round on scorecards to extend his championship reign.
But fatigue seemingly started to become a factor for Makhachev by this point, making his necessary final successful round hard to attain. Machado Garry successfully stuffed takedown attempts in the third and was able to pick at a slowing Makhachev with his striking during stand-up exchanges.
The fourth round saw Makhachev return to his takedown attempts. However, in the meantime, Machado Garry put together short but effective ground and pound punches to the champ’s head. By the end of the round, questions started to rise about whether damage from Machado Garry did enough to earn him the round over Makhachev’s grappling prowess. Ultimately, two of the three judges scored it in favor of Makhachev.
Any concerns about a late comeback from Machado Garry possibly turning the scorecards in his favor were silenced following the fifth, when Makhachev had put his opponent on the mat and got on his back for the closing moments of the fight. Even on the most skeptical scorecard, Makhachev had earned at least three rounds and won the fight overall.
Machado Garry was graceful in defeat, mentioning afterward that he felt he had the tools to win on Saturday, but wasn’t able to walk away with the title.
“Nothing surprised me,” he said. “I have nothing but respect for Islam … I believe in my heart and in my soul I was better than him tonight, [but] he won.”
Makhachev’s win on Saturday night saw him successfully defend the UFC Welterweight Championship for the first time. The long-time lightweight star moved up to the 170-pound limit last year, dethroning Jack Della Maddalena in a one-sided scorecard victory.
Makhachev admitted afterward that he has felt more resistance from opponents since moving to a higher weight class.
“I feel guys have more power, [it’s] hard to submit them,” Makhachev said about welterweight opponents in his post-fight interview. “But still, my game plan works.”
Maybe more importantly than title accolades, Makhachev’s latest performance further cemented him in UFC’s history books. This weekend was the 17th straight win for Makhachev, surpassing a record of most consecutive UFC victories set by all-time great Anderson Silva many years back.
The next challenger to UFC’s welterweight champ is likely to be either Brazil’s Carlos Prates or undefeated Ecuadorian challenger Michael Morales, both of whom were in attendance for Saturday’s show.
Prates has made himself a fan favorite since entering the UFC roster in 2024, having earned all seven of his victories with the promotion via finish. While he suffered a setback to Machado Garry in 2025, he bounced back with three victories over the past year, including outings against ex-champs Della Maddalena and Leon Edwards.
Morales has caught the attention of many by finishing notable contenders like Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady in recent years. Morales has the unique opportunity to become UFC’s first-ever Ecuadorian champion if booked in a title matchup.
