From the title page: how Makhachev became the UFC record holder

Russian fighter Islam Makhachev defeated Irishman Ian Machado Garry in a duel at the UFC 330 tournament in Philadelphia, becoming the organization's record holder: now he has 17 consecutive victories. The welterweight title fight turned out to be very difficult and lasted all five rounds. After the battle, Islam raised the Russian flag. "We, Russia, have proved that we are number one in the world! We will break all records!" said the 34-year-old athlete after the fight.

Impressive series

On August 16, the main event of the UFC 330 tournament took place at the Ixfinity Mobile Arena in Pennsylvania — Islam Makhachev's first fight as the welterweight champion. The Russian's opponent is Irishman Ian Machado Garry, who occupies the third place in the ranking. Islam had not just a belt at stake, but a historical record: if he won, Makhachev became the sole leader in the number of consecutive wins in the history of the UFC.

Islam had 29 fights in professional MMA, 28 victories and only one, but very loud defeat. Having made his UFC debut in May 2015, in his second fight he came across a hard overhand from Brazilian Adriano Martins and was knocked out in the second minute. That loss was a powerful lesson for the Dagestani and the starting point of a new era: since then, Makhachev has not known defeats, having won 16 fights in a row.

He methodically went to the top, cracking down on strong middle men, and in October 2022, he strangled Charles Oliveira and became the champion of the lightweight division. This was followed by four title defenses and resounding victories over Alexander Volkanovsky (twice) and Dustin Poirier. After dominating the lightweight division, Makhachev left the belt and rose to 77 kg, and in November 2025, he defeated Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision, becoming the first Russian dual UFC champion. Now he has a record four defenses to his credit.

Irishman Ian Machado Garry, unlike Makhachev, has a shorter but no less impressive path behind him — 17 wins with one defeat. He joined the UFC at the age of 23 as the champion of the Irish Cage Warriors promotion and immediately made himself known by knocking out Jordan Williams in the first round at UFC 268 in November 2021. Since then, the Irishman went undefeated, winning seven victories in a row, until in December 2024 he ran into an insurmountable wall in the person of Shavkat Rakhmonov, losing to him by unanimous decision. However, Garry showed the character of a champion: he defeated Brazilian Carlos Prates, and then former champion Belal Muhammad. This allowed the 28-year-old Irishman to take the third place in the welterweight ranking.

Difficulties in the stalls

The first round began with a cautious exploration. Harry kept his distance and tried to counterattack when Islam tried to get closer. But already in the first minute, Makhachev walked in one leg and transferred Ian to the canvas. Once at the net, Makhachev tried to go behind his back, hitting the outside of his opponent's thigh. Harry did not allow Islam to improve his position, but he could not get out of an awkward situation either. So Makhachev controlled his opponent until the end of the segment.

Ian started the second round with high kicks and face kicks, trying to keep Makhachev from getting too close. The Russian responded with sharp punches from his hands, and then entered the clinch, from where he beat Harry with his knees. When the fighters came out of the clinch, Islam threw a high kick and shocked the opponent! Garry ended up on the canvas, but immediately got up, however, Makhachev immediately threw his opponent over his hip and tried to go for a choke. Once in the half-guard, the Russian began to treat Harry with punches and tried to go behind his back, but did not come to the reception. However, it was Islam that confidently took both of the first segments.

In the third five minutes, the fighters were cautious in the stance for a long time, but in the middle of the round Makhachev nevertheless transferred Harry. The Irishman unexpectedly took Islam's back, but the Russian quickly got out of the situation. A minute before the siren, Garry threw an accurate high kick, which looked unpleasant for Makhachev, and 30 seconds before the break, Islam could not get to his feet. Finally, Harry threw out a backfist and a spinner — the round turned out to be close and, possibly, went to the Irishman. In the fourth segment, Islam barely moved Harry and dragged him to the net, after which he again began trying to get a choke hold. Ian fought back, but the Russian continued to hold him down. Makhachev tried to throw the opponent again, and he succeeded, but he could not improve his position. Harry managed to get up after the Russian's transfers — it was extremely difficult to catch him for an appointment.

The final round started with a middle kick from Harry. The Irishman tried to push and work as number one, while Islam probed the distance. Garry hit with precise punches, but Makhachev converted him again, but his opponent once again quickly got to his feet. Islam managed to throw Harry over his hip, after which he still went behind his back. It was difficult to put Harry's neck in a noose, but the control worked in favor of the Russian. Ian tried to fight back, but he couldn't get out. Maakhachev also struck, but failed to finish, and the fight ended.

After the fight, the fighters hugged and raised each other's hands, but Makhachev's victory in the rounds looked obvious. The judges were unanimous, and everyone gave the victory to Islam. — 49:46, 49:46, 48:47. The fight turned out to be difficult, but the result was as fair as possible. During the announcement of the winner, Makhachev's team unfurled the Russian flag.

—Ian is a great fighter, a good guy, I just respect him," Islam said in the octagon. — He gave me a tough fight, but I proved everything again. Harry has shown a lot on the ground floor, he works with one of the best on the ground floor in the world, Damien Maia. I feel like these opponents are stronger and bigger in this weight class, but still, my game works.

For Makhachev, this is the 17th consecutive victory in the promotion. He surpassed the achievement of former UFC champion Brazilian Anderson Silva.

"I enjoyed it,— UFC champion Oleg Taktarov told Izvestia. — I'm interested in tough fights where character is tested. It was amazing to see Islam's confusion in the third round. But the fifth round showed who has a stronger nervous system and more confidence. It doesn't matter that the victory is a decision of the judges. This is a worthy victory. I will say one thing: six years ago I made a mistake. In an interview, he once said that Makhachev would be able to lift weights. Now I see that Islam will not be able to compete in the next category, we will have to stop at this one. There's no point in going any further, it's too hard. Powerful guys came here. You can't get physically stronger now - you can only ride on old luggage and try not to get injured.

Islam also equaled Khabib Nurmagomedov in terms of the number of wins in MMA — both have 29.

Makhachev may have his next UFC welterweight bout with Brazilian Carlos Prates.