Islam Makhachev defeats Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, retains welterweight title
Islam Makhachev has just defeated Ian Machado Garry to defend his welterweight title at UFC 330, but it was a far more challenging fight than many expected.
Islam Makhachev's run at the top of the sport continues, as he just defeated Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision at UFC 330. In doing so, he successfully defended his welterweight title for the first time, but the fight turned out to be much harder than the oddsmakers had anticipated.
Islam Makhachev had a tough night at UFC 330
The UFC 284 bout with Alexander Volkanovski, who Islam Makhachev defeated via unanimous decision, is often cited as his most difficult fight. However, the UFC 330 outing against Ian Machado Garry may have just been a shade tougher, which even Makhachev alluded to in his post-fight interview. It all comes down to Garry's size and length, which gave tremendous leverage in the grappling sequences, while his tricky striking game was arguably the hardest puzzle Makhachev has ever encountered on the feet. The early rounds went relatively well for Makhachev, as he landed low kicks, scored some shots in the boxing exchanges, and secured a takedown here and there. However, once the fight hit the mat, he didn't enjoy the dominance he's usually accustomed to.
Garry made things very difficult by refusing to accept bottom position like he usually does, which was reminiscent of his counter-grappling against Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310. Whenever Makhachev found success with a single-leg takedown, 'The Future' immediately turned his hip inward and wrapped an arm across Makhachev's back to drive his shoulders forward. This even allowed him to briefly take Makhachev's back, forcing a standup. Alternatively, he'd slide an arm under Makhachev's crotch, hooking his hands between Makhachev's legs to control his posture and force scrambles. This stopped Makhachev from having much control time, allowing Garry to stand. Then, in the clinch, he made sure to avoid throwing any knees to the thigh or body, as doing so would have given Makhachev the opening to trip his standing leg.
Had to see that headkick again 👀
— UFC (@ufc) August 16, 2026
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Garry also fought for underhooks whenever possible, and dropped his hips below Makhachev's, making trips difficult and ultimately tiring Makhachev out. However, as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Makhachev still found success. In round two, he dropped Garry with a head kick, prompting the Irishman to scramble to his feet and clinch up. It was then that Makhachev trapped Garry's wrist under his armpit with an overhook, wrapped his other arm over Garry's neck, then turned and dropped his hips, using his outside foot for a slick trip that landed him on top in side control. Unfortunately for Makhachev, a finish eluded him and Garry recovered. Though as Makhachev tired the longer the fight progressed, Garry started landing more comfortably, blasting round kicks to the body and even landing a hard head kick of his own, while battering Makhachev with dirty boxing in the clinch and at range with jabs and straights.
Although Makahchev managed to find some control time later on, with a body triangle, he could never find the rear-naked choke. In the end, he looked human but still won, and has now broken Anderson Silva's 16-fight win streak, giving Makhachev the longest win streak in UFC history. What comes next is a likely title defense against Carlos Prates, but Michael Morales, who served as the UFC 330 main event backup fighter, is also waiting for his crack at the belt. Though Makhachev will, for now, unwind and recover, the division will soon demand his involvement once again, and he has nothing but tough matchups ahead.
