Islam Makhachev Defeats Ian Machado Garry to Retain UFC Welterweight Title

Islam Makhachev remains the UFC Welterweight Champion after defeating Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision at UFC 330.

The longest win streak in UFC history has officially been broken, as the 34-year-old earned his 17th successive victory in the organisation.

The Russian proved he is worthy of the 170-pound division with the multiple takedowns he landed throughout the five rounds, as well as the amount of control time he gained in the Octagon.

In the second round, Makhachev gave the Irishman a stoppage scare with a surprise knockdown from a head kick, which Machado Garry managed to recover from.

Despite a promising fourth round, ‘The Future’ could not outsmart the #1 pound-for-pound fighter and received only the second loss of his professional MMA career.

Makhachev will aim to defend his welterweight championship once again in the near future, as Carlos Prates and Michael Morales eye the next opportunity.

In the co-main event, Mackenzie Dern dominated in her first title defence by securing a comfortable unanimous decision win against Gillian Robertson.

The UFC Strawweight Champion caused problems for the challenger from rounds one to four, especially on the ground, where she came close to submitting the Canadian with a rear-naked choke at the end of the first round.

The 33-year-old extends her win streak to four and will aim to continue her reign in the 115-pound division.

Jalin Turner made quick work of Kaue Fernandes, stopping the Brazilian in just 39 seconds of the first round with a TKO victory.

‘The Tarantula’ dropped Fernandes with a perfectly timed left hand before finishing the bout with some nasty ground-and-pound.

Dustin Stoltzfus broke a two-fight losing streak with a stunning second-round submission win.

A wild two-round brawl eventually led to the Pennsylvania-born fighter taking the back of Mansur Abdul Malik with ground-and-pound before finishing the bout with a rear-naked choke.

It was a return to winning ways for Esteban Ribovics, who dominated his way to a second-round TKO victory against Edson Barboza after producing a striking masterclass.

The Brazilian just couldn’t compete with the Argentinian in the Octagon and took his gloves off during the post-fight interview to signal an emotional end to his 17-year MMA career.

The 40-year-old was a huge fan favourite in the UFC lightweight division and produced some of the greatest knockouts in the organisation.

After suffering back-to-back losses, Chidi Njokuani earned redemption with a unanimous decision victory over Joel Alvarez.

Charles Johnson amazed the Philadelphia crowd when he stopped his short-notice opponent, Eduardo Chapolini, in the third round by submitting the Brazilian with a first-ever Scottish Twister in the organisation.

A devastating knockout from Donte Johnson extended his undefeated record to 9-0 after he brutally stopped Eric McConico in the first round.

Tresean Gore earned his second successive win by going the distance with middleweight debutant Vicente Luque, picking up a convincing unanimous decision while losing some teeth in the process.

LFA rising star Lucas Fernando delivered on his UFC debut with an impressive third-round TKO victory against Rafael Tobias.

It was a return to the win column for Neil Magny, who defeated Ramiz Brahimaj by second-round TKO, extending the record for the most fights and victories in UFC welterweight history.

Jeremiah Wells claimed a huge underdog victory in the third round after countering Myktybek Orolbai’s takedown with a ninja choke that put the Kyrgyz fighter to sleep.