Islam MakhachevW vs. Ian Machado Garry
UFC 330 · August 15, 2026 · Xfinity Mobile Arena · Main Card 9:00 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Islam Makhachev by Decision (unanimous), R5
- What kind of fight
- Grappler vs. striker chess match
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- Makhachev -330 · Garry +270Consensus
- The stakes
- Welterweight · Title fight · Main event
The result
Islam Makhachev def. Ian Machado Garry — Decision (unanimous), R5
Islam Makhachev retained his welterweight title and set the UFC record for the longest win streak in promotion history at 17, turning back a game Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).
Makhachev badly hurt Garry with a head kick as he exited the clinch in round two, and after Garry rallied in the third with body and calf kicks, Makhachev sealed it in the fifth by taking his back and working for a rear-naked choke.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
Makhachev has answered this exact question too many times to pick against him.
Garry will have moments early behind the jab, and his takedown defense will hold for stretches, but Makhachev only needs one entry per round to bank it. Once the fight hits the mat, Makhachev's submission threat is the best in the division, and Garry has spent very little of his career fighting off his back.
A late D'Arce or a clear decision for the champion is the likeliest ending, with a Garry counter-shot knockout the live underdog path.
The matchup
This is the classic grappler-versus-striker title fight, played out at the highest level in the sport.
Makhachev wants to close distance, chain takedowns, and drown Garry in top control the way he has everyone else for a decade. Garry's whole game is making that walk expensive — he's 6-foot-3 with an 80 percent takedown defense rate and the footwork to keep the fight standing at range.
The catch: Garry has never faced grappling anywhere near this caliber, and the one elite grappler he did face, Rakhmonov, took him down and edged him. Makhachev is the bigger name, but Garry is younger, longer, and genuinely dangerous if this stays vertical.
Tale of the tape
| 28-1 | Record | 17-1 |
| 34 | Age | 28 |
| 5'10" | Height | 6'3" |
| 70" | Reach | 74" |
| Southpaw | Stance | Orthodox |
| Russia | Country | Ireland |
| Eagles MMA | Team | Chute Boxe Diego Lima |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Islam Makhachev 28-1
Islam Makhachev is the reigning UFC welterweight champion and the longtime heir to Khabib Nurmagomedov's Dagestani grappling dynasty. He dominated the lightweight division for years, defending that belt four times before moving up and taking the welterweight title from Jack Della Maddalena in November 2025. He hasn't lost a fight since 2015, riding a 15-fight win streak into this bout. His game is built on suffocating wrestling and slick submissions, but he has real knockout power too, as Alexander Volkanovski found out. Widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
- WJack Della Maddalena · Decision (unanimous)UFC 322 · November 15, 2025
- WRenato Moicano · Submission (D'Arce choke)UFC 311 · January 18, 2025
- WDustin Poirier · Submission (D'Arce choke)UFC 302 · June 1, 2024
Ian Machado Garry 17-1
“The Future”
Ian Machado Garry is a 28-year-old Irish welterweight who has been calling himself 'The Future' since before he set foot in the UFC — and he's mostly backed it up. Tall and long for the division at 6-foot-3, he fights behind a rangy jab and sharp counters, picking opponents apart from distance. His only career loss is a razor-thin decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov, a fight he took on short notice and nearly won. Back-to-back wins over Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad earned him this first crack at UFC gold. He trains out of Chute Boxe Diego Lima in Brazil, the same camp that built Charles Oliveira.
- WBelal Muhammad · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Tsarukyan vs. Hooker · November 22, 2025
- WCarlos Prates · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates · April 26, 2025
- LShavkat Rakhmonov · Decision (unanimous)UFC 310 · December 7, 2024