Russia’s Islam Makhachev has set a new Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) record for consecutive victories after grinding out a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry to retain his welterweight title in the main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
The win pushed Makhachev’s streak to 17 straight victories inside the octagon, surpassing the previous record of 16 held by UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva. All three judges scored the fight in the champion’s favour, with two cards reading 49-46 and the third 48-47.
Makhachev, at a clear disadvantage in height and reach against his 28-year-old Irish challenger, set the tone early. He landed a fast single-leg takedown within the opening minutes of round one, though Garry stayed composed and worked his way back to his feet without taking damage.
The champion’s biggest moment came in round two, when a high kick caught Garry flush and sent him down again. Garry survived the round, but the challenger began to find his footing in round three, landing heavy kicks to the body and lead leg while largely avoiding being taken down.
Makhachev responded in round four by returning to his grappling to seize back control of the fight. Garry, needing a finish to take the belt, pushed hard in the final round, but the champion avoided major trouble and closed the fight out on the scorecards.
Speaking after the win, Makhachev praised his opponent. “Ian is a great fighter, a good man, and I just respect him. He gave me a hard time, but I still prove myself every fight. Thank you for this match,” he said.
Garry was gracious in defeat despite believing he had done enough to win. “I have nothing but respect for Islam. I believe I was better than him tonight, but he won. I have no excuses,” he said.
The result also made Makhachev just the fifth fighter in UFC history to successfully defend titles across two different weight divisions. He improves to 29-1 overall, with his only professional loss coming in 2015 during just his second fight in the promotion. Garry falls to 17-2.
In the co-main event, Mackenzie Dern set her own milestone, picking up the first successful defense of her women’s strawweight title with a unanimous decision win over Canada’s Gillian Robertson.
All three judges scored that fight 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in Dern’s favour, as she controlled the pace on the mat and kept Robertson under near constant pressure across the full five rounds.
