With history at stake in his first welterweight title defense at UFC 330 on Saturday, pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev crawled and scratched his way to a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry in Philadelphia. The victory saw Makhachev (29-1) eclipse Anderson Silva's record for consecutive wins inside the Octagon with 17. But it didn't come without some concerns surrounding whether the rest of the division has caught up with Makhachev a bit at age 34.
Machado Garry (17-2) used his size and reach advantage to nullify much of Makhachev's success on the feet, save for a flush headkick in Round 2 that dropped the top-ranked welterweight but was unable to finish him. The native of Ireland also repeatedly avoided being held hostage to Makhachev's dominant grappling control thanks to stubborn clinch work and an ability to pop back up to his feet. event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!
Even though Makhachev had his opponent standing directly in front of him for the majority of the five rounds, he was unable to capitalize in the face of Machado Garry's elite defense, quickness and head movement. What it created was largely a staring contest in which neither fighter truly did enough offensively to guarantee the support of the judges after each round. Had to see that headkick again 👀[ #UFC330 is LIVE NOW on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/87ipvfXl6e While it will take an equally strong defensive effort from any of Makhachev's future title challengers in order to repeat Machado Garry's performance, the fight left many questioning whether Makhachev has already hit his ceiling as a welterweight and whether he will potentially struggle with larger and longer strikers like Carlos Prates and Michael Morales in the future.
Makhachev deserves credit for finding a way to win against Machado Garry in a close fight where there were few openings. But at the same time, his opponent's defensive skills left the champion looking out of answers and unwilling to take any chances. Win streaks the length that Makhachev has now authored seem impossible to maintain because of how many ways there are to lose a fight at the elite level of UFC, where one mistake can cost you.
To that end, what Makhachev has done and continues to do is remarkable. But forgive those who vote for P4P lists such as this for not wondering whether Machado Garry exposed the great Makhachev for being human just as it appeared he was ready to take a giant leap into MMA immortality as one of the greatest and most accomplished fighters to ever reign atop the UFC. Makhachev turned UFC 322 last November into a night of historical conquest as the former lightweight champion dominated Jack Della Maddalena with his grappling over five rounds to become the 11th two-division champion in UFC history.
His pursuit of history only continued at UFC 330 in August when he broke Anderson Silva's record for consecutive wins inside the Octagon with 17 following a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry. Now a two-time featherweight king, the 37-year-old Volkanovski continues to put his 2024 knockout title loss to Topuria in the rearview mirror. At UFC 325 in January, Volkanovski returned defeated Diego Lopes for the second time in nine months, making it look even easier in the rematch.
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