Islam Makhachev is one win away from literally being in a league of his own.<\/p>\n
The welterweight champion, former lightweight champion, and MMA Fighting\u2019s Pound-for-Pound No. 1 fighter in the world<\/a> can break the record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history if he beats Ian Machado Garry in Saturday\u2019s UFC 330 main event. Makhachev is currently tied at 16 with the legendary Anderson Silva, one of the most beloved figures in this business.<\/p>\n Garry has anointed himself as a future champion at 170 pounds since he first stepped into the octagon in 2021. The Irishman has backed up the hype with a sterling 10-1 UFC record, including wins over former titleholder Belal Muhammad and top contender Carlos Prates. Love him or hate him\u2014and there seem to be plenty of voices in the latter category\u2014there\u2019s a non-zero chance Garry upsets Makhachev and adds him to a list of recently vanquished elites that includes Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira, and Khamzat Chimaev. And that\u2019s just in 2026.<\/p>\n There\u2019s been such a surge of \u201cCould Garry be the guy to spoil Makhachev\u2019s run?\u201d<\/a> sentiment that at this point, it shouldn\u2019t surprise anyone if Garry ekes out a win. What that result would do the MMA fan base as a whole is impossible to predict.<\/p>\n The co-main event is also a high stakes affair as Mackenzie Dern defends her strawweight title for the first time. Dern won a vacant belt when dominant champion Zhang Weili exited the division to chase a second title at 125 pounds, putting Dern\u2019s ascendancy in question even after she earned her crown with an impressive win over Virna Jandiroba.<\/p>\n Now she has the chance to give her credibility a major boost as she takes on Gillian Robertson, just the fourth Canadian woman to challenge for a UFC title following Alexis Davis, Valerie Letourneau, and Felicia Spencer. The Great White North hasn\u2019t seen a UFC champion since Georges St-Pierre. If Robertson wins, Makhachev might not be the only fighter making history Saturday.<\/p>\n Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia<\/p>\n When: Saturday, Aug. 15. The three-fight early preliminary card begins at 5:30 p.m. ET, followed by a four-fight preliminary card at 7 p.m. ET. The five-fight main card begins at 9 p.m. ET with the entire event streaming live on Paramount+.<\/p>\n (Numbers in parentheses indicate standing in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings<\/a> and Pound-for-Pound Rankings<\/a>)<\/p>\n Islam Makhachev (1, P4P-1) vs. Ian Machado Garry (T3)<\/p>\n Ian Machado Garry would be an excellent upset pick here were it not for the fact that he\u2019s facing the best fighter on the planet.<\/p>\n Look, I\u2019ve been beating the drum as loudly as anyone not named Mike Heck that Garry is a stiff test for Islam Makhachev. Size matters, styles make fights, and everybody loses eventually. You\u2019ve heard it all before, but all these things are true and all tilt the odds ever so slightly away from Makhachev having another routine defense. What we have to ask ourselves is if Garry truly has the skills to capitalize.<\/p>\n He\u2019s a great striker and, most importantly in this matchup, an irritating one. Garry receives plenty of praise for making the most of his length and controlling distance for good reason. It might annoy fans to see him point-fighting his way to glory at times, but wins are wins, and he only needs to implement this strategy effectively three rounds out of five. Knockout, submission, or 48-47, any of those outcomes would be more than satisfying for Garry.<\/p>\n Makhachev\u2019s wrestling remains the trump card and we saw in Garry\u2019s gutsy fight with Shavkat Rakhmonov that he can be neutralized at times. While Makhachev can\u2019t match Rakhmonov\u2019s sheer size, he more than makes up for that with his incredible timing and technique. He\u2019s also arguably the best defensive fighter in the UFC today, so Garry won\u2019t be able to effortlessly snipe away at Makhachev. One wayward kick or overextended punch and he\u2019s on his backside.<\/p>\n That\u2019s the biggest issue for me when it comes to visualizing a Garry victory on points is that I just don\u2019t trust him to do enough damage to seriously threaten Makhachev. He\u2019ll have to venture forward to take Makhachev out of his comfort zone, and Makhachev is fully prepared to capitalize on those situations. The Jack Della Maddalena win is a preview of how Makhachev will operate at 170, using relentless wrestling to neutralize and, most importantly, control his larger foes.<\/p>\n So yes, I fully expect Garry to take Makhachev the distance, and if he wants to claim some moral victory later on, more power to him. But it\u2019s Makhachev who wins the battle that truly matters.<\/p>\n Mackenzie Dern (2, P4P-7) vs. Gillian Robertson (6)<\/p>\n Yeah, I\u2019m picking Gillian Robertson, and yeah, I\u2019m a biased Canadian. But you know what? She just does more.<\/p>\n Huge props to Mackenzie Dern for capitalizing on an opportunity and claiming a vacant title. Zhang or no Zhang, that\u2019s a real belt around Dern\u2019s waist, and no matter what happens Saturday, she goes down in the books as a UFC champion. That\u2019s pretty cool.<\/p>\n But Dern had a rocky road to the top, and while there\u2019s no arguing she\u2019s vastly improved all-around in her seven-year UFC career and the losses on her record are against quality competition, it\u2019s not as if Dern is known for her sheer dominance. Her ground game? Second to none. Everything else? Still a work in progress, even if the total package has come a long way.<\/p>\n Her athleticism always gives her an edge, and if Robertson stands with her, I favor Dern\u2019s chances of landing a game-changing punch more than Robertson. That\u2019s why\u2014counterintuitive\u2014as it may sound, Robertson should take the initiative and grapple with Dern.<\/p>\n Remember what I said about doing more? One of the biggest criticisms of Dern when she was on the come-up was that she just doesn\u2019t, uh, attack on the ground? Her jiu-jitsu is gorgeous to watch, but if she\u2019s not angling for a submission she\u2019s not attacking otherwise. She\u2019ll take Robertson\u2019s arm or neck if the situation presents itself, but a lack of offense could cost her.<\/p>\n So it\u2019s on Robertson to make the most of her offensive chances, preferably from top position for as long as she can hold it, and not allow Dern to dictate terms. Because a standup battle could get ugly, and if Robertson lets Dern get on top of her, she\u2019s probably toast.<\/p>\n I called for this matchup to be made since Robertson beat Amanda Lemos, and I\u2019m still feeling plenty patriotic. Robertson by fourth-round ground-and-pound stoppage.<\/p>\n Jalin Turner vs. Kaue Fernandes<\/p>\n Someone at the UFC has a wicked sense of humor putting the gigantic Jalin Turner against \u201cThe Lumberjack.\u201d<\/p>\n As you might have heard, Kaue Fernandes loves himself a good leg kick and he\u2019s probably champing at the bit to drive his shinbones into Turner\u2019s lengthy pegs. What greater thrill could there be for Fernandes then getting Jon Anik to yell \u201cTIMBEEEEEERRRRRRRR\u201d on the call when Turner comes crashing down? Mr. Fernandes, your life has been building to this moment.<\/p>\n Turner is extraordinarily dangerous, though, and bad read by Fernandes could result in him eating a fist to the mush. And when Turner smells blood, he rarely fails to put his opponents way, finishing all 15 of his wins by knockout or submission. Can he impose his will on the slippery Fernandes?<\/p>\n I love me a good gimmick, so I want to see Fernandes pull this off and join names like Justin Gaethje and Jose Aldo (and Valter Walker in a different way) as the biggest leg haters to ever do it.<\/p>\n Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus<\/p>\n It\u2019s back to the drawing board for Mansur Abdul-Malik, who suffered his first loss last time out against Yousri Belgaroui, which is nothing to be ashamed of. Belgaroui is a taller, sharper striker with much more combat sports experience, and the talented Abdul-Malik received a reality check. It happens.<\/p>\n The matchmakers are putting Abdul-Malik right back into the mix with Dustin Stoltzfus, who, to put it kindly, is quite hittable. And when Abdul-Malik has free rein to put hands on someone, it usually doesn\u2019t last long. He has some major defensive deficiencies to shore up, but he\u2019s proven to be effective against midrange grapplers, which is squarely where I\u2019d place Stoltzfus in the 185-pound hierarchy.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a step back for Abdul-Malik, but development isn\u2019t always linear and these are the kinds of octagon reps he should be putting in. Abdul-Malik by knockout in the opening round. Anything less would be disappointing.<\/p>\n Esteban Ribovics vs. Edson Barboza<\/p>\n Edson Barboza, we salute you.<\/p>\n I fully understand that this could be Barboza\u2019s last ride and a short one at that. Esteban Ribovics is a beastly lightweight who has had inconsistent results, but his path to victory is obvious: Walk down the man 10 years his senior, throw leather, and leave him face-down on the canvas. I shudder thinking about it.<\/p>\n So just let me manifest a positive outcome here, not necessarily a win for Barboza (I daren\u2019t dream that big), but one more spirited effort worthy of Fight of the Night consideration. Let Barboza survive a few exchanges and put a scare in Ribovics. Let him remind Ribovics and everyone watching why, in his prime, he was one of the most feared strikers pound-for-pound in all of MMA. Let him throw some spinning shit that comes this close to ending Ribovics\u2019 night.<\/p>\n And then, when the time comes, let him go out on his shield.<\/p>\n Joel Alvarez def. Chidi Njokuani<\/p>\n Charles Johnson def. Eduardo Chapolin<\/p>\n Donte Johnson def. Eric McConico<\/p>\n Vicente Luque def. Tresean Gore<\/p>\n Lucas Fernando def. Rafael Tobias<\/p>\n Neil Magny def. Ramiz Brahimaj<\/p>\n Myktybek Orolbai def. Jeremiah Wells<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Islam Makhachev is one win away from literally being in a league of his own. 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