Islam Makhachev made history at UFC 330, extending his Octagon winning streak to 17 fights and breaking Anderson Silva’s long-standing record. The Dagestani successfully defended his welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry in a grueling five-round battle, with the judges scoring it 49-46, 49-46, and 48-47 in favor of the champion.
Makhachev’s latest win added another milestone to his already impressive resume. He already became the 11th double champion in UFC history in November 2025 and now only the fifth fighter to win titles in two weight classes and successfully defend a belt after doing so, joining Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Amanda Nunes, and Henry Cejudo.
The 29-1 star had already posed with two belts at UFC 322 after capturing the welterweight title at 170 pounds. While that made perfect sense at the time, seeing Makhachev pose with two belts again after the fight at UFC 330 raised a few eyebrows.
After all, he had already vacated the lightweight title to move up to welterweight, with Ilia Topuria later claiming the 155-pound gold at UFC 317 before Justin Gaethje took over the division at UFC Freedom 250. That was enough to leave Max Holloway scratching his head.
While speaking on his Kick channel, the former featherweight champion questioned why Makhachev was still carrying around both belts despite defending only his welterweight title in Philadelphia.
He said, “Why the fuck do you have two belts? For aura? I mean, it is what it is, like, you are, but you’re not. That was temporary, but now you’re just defending one belt, bro. Why you keep—I don’t know. I don’t know, guys.”
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Makhachev clearly wasn’t about to let that one slide. The Dagestani responded directly to Holloway under MMA Fighting’s Instagram post about the comments, offering a short but savage explanation for the two-belt celebration. He wrote, “I don’t know, bro. It’s even too heavy to hold. But you don’t understand, sorry.”
Technically, Holloway has a point. Makhachev already vacated the lightweight title when he moved up to 170 pounds, so there is no current reason for him to pose with the 155-pound belt as an active champion.
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However, Makhachev isn’t the first fighter to do it. Ilia Topuria did the exact same thing after defeating Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. The Spaniard had also vacated the featherweight title before moving up to lightweight, yet he still posed with both belts after becoming a two-division champion.
There is also a simple reason why fighters can still have both belts. The UFC makes a new belt whenever a fighter wins a championship for the first time. Makhachev still has the lightweight belt he originally won in 2022, while another belt was made for Topuria when he captured the division.
So, while Holloway may not understand the logic behind Makhachev continuing to bring both belts to the stage, the Dagestani clearly isn’t too bothered by it. Whether it is for the aura, the memories, or simply because he can, Makhachev walked into UFC 330 with two belts and left with another successful title defense.
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Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
