It seems the Dagestani fighters are destined to give the Irishmen a hard time. That was once again the case at UFC 330, where Islam Makhachev successfully defended his welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry in a grueling five-round battle. The judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in favor of the champion.
The win pushed Makhachev’s UFC winning streak to 17 straight fights, breaking Anderson Silva’s long-standing record of 16 consecutive victories inside the Octagon. The Dagestani now owns a 29-1 professional record and continues to strengthen his case as the greatest fighter in UFC history.
However, this was the first time since UFC 284 that Makhachev looked human. The fight was billed as a classic grappler-versus-striker matchup, with Makhachev’s world-class wrestling expected to be the biggest difference-maker. He wasted no time putting that weapon to work, shooting for a single-leg early in the opening round and taking Garry to the canvas.
Garry followed his corner’s instructions and tried to work his way back to his feet, but Makhachev’s hand control kept him stuck. The champion controlled most of the round while looking for opportunities to take his opponent’s back and peppering him with knees.
ISLAM MAKHACHEV KEEPS HIS BELT 🏆
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— UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) August 16, 2026
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The second round, however, produced Makhachev’s biggest moment of the fight. Garry opened with a series of kicks, including one aimed at the head and an oblique kick toward Makhachev’s knee. Makhachev responded by grabbing the Muay Thai plum and firing off knees before creating some separation.
That was when the champion unleashed a nasty head kick that stunned Garry and sent him crashing to the canvas. Makhachev immediately followed him down, secured another takedown and moved into side control, where he began landing punches and elbows. Garry survived the storm, but Makhachev had made his point.
Garry started finding more success with his kicks and reach advantage in the third round. He even managed to damage the champion around the eye with a high kick while successfully defending a deep single-leg attempt. Makhachev eventually secured another takedown, but Garry reversed position and made his way back to his feet.
The momentum continued to swing in the fourth round. Garry landed a hard body kick and appeared increasingly comfortable on the feet, while Makhachev struggled to consistently get him down. The champion eventually found another takedown and lifted Garry off the canvas before bringing him crashing back down.
Still, Garry refused to fold. With five minutes left and the fight potentially close on the scorecards, the challenger came out firing. He landed a stiff punch and another nasty body kick before countering one of Makhachev’s takedown attempts and battling him against the fence.
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But when Makhachev needed it most, he found another gear. The champion finally secured the takedown, took Garry’s back and locked in a body triangle. From there, Makhachev remained glued to his opponent while looking for submissions and forcing Garry into a desperate hand-fighting battle.
Makhachev finished the fight with seven unanswered takedowns and more than 12 minutes of control time, compared to just 34 seconds for Garry. Despite the Irishman landing more significant strikes, 29 to Makhachev’s 22, he couldn’t do enough to convince the judges that he had done enough to take the title.
As the final seconds ticked away, Makhachev began firing punches from the back while Garry continued desperately trying to escape. By then, the result was essentially sealed.
Garry’s loss means he has now been beaten only by Makhachev and Shavkat Rakhmonov during his professional career. His previous defeat came against Rakhmonov at UFC 310 via unanimous decision in a five-round non-title fight in December 2024.
For Makhachev, this may not have been his most dominant performance, but that almost makes the victory more impressive. When his usual weapons weren’t working quite as smoothly, he found another way to win.
At 28, Garry still has plenty of time to chase his dream of becoming UFC champion, as he himself admitted during the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. But for now, the welterweight throne remains firmly in Makhachev’s hands.
And with 17 straight UFC wins and a 29-1 record, the Dagestani’s claim to being the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter, and potentially the greatest UFC fighter ever, is getting harder to ignore.
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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.
