Makhachev defends welterweight title against Garry, eyes record 17th straight win

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev of Russia will make his first title defense against No. 1-ranked contender Ian Machado Garry of Ireland at UFC 330, with women's strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern set to defend her title against No. 5-ranked Gillian Robertson on the same card.

UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry takes place Sunday at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event features a double title fight, with the welterweight championship as the main event and the strawweight championship as the co-main event.

Makhachev (28-1) enters the fight chasing the outright UFC record for consecutive wins. Currently on a 16-fight winning streak, he is tied with former middleweight champion Anderson Silva for the all-time mark. A victory Sunday would give him 17 straight wins and sole possession of the record. It will also be his first defense since capturing the welterweight title — adding it to his lightweight belt — by defeating Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last November.

Challenger Ian Machado Garry (17-1) aims to dethrone the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter and claim the welterweight championship. Garry was inspired to pursue MMA by fellow Irishman and former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor. A victory Sunday would give Garry 11 UFC wins, surpassing McGregor's record of 10.

The matchup pits an elite grappler against a striker. Makhachev won a gold medal in combat sambo at the 2016 FIAS World Championships and has recorded 41 takedowns in the UFC — an average of 3.1 per 15 minutes. Garry started MMA at age 10 and relies primarily on striking; he lands 1.92 more strikes per minute than his opponents and boasts strong defensive numbers. Both fighters are well-rounded, however. Makhachev has the power to knock out opponents — he finished Alexander Volkanovski by KO — while Garry holds a black belt in judo and brings a solid grappling base of his own.

The bout draws comparisons to the 2018 blockbuster between then-UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. Makhachev trained from a young age under Khabib and his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov and is regarded as a brother-like figure to Khabib, while Garry was drawn into MMA by his admiration for McGregor.

At a media day Thursday, Makhachev said Garry is a capable striker with good takedown defense but has weaknesses. "He's not a 100 percent complete fighter like me," Makhachev said. He added that he expects a good fight but has "a few keys to break him down easily." He also took aim at Garry's persona: "He's a good guy but he acts like a villain sometimes. I'll make him humble — make him a good guy again."

Garry framed the fight in straightforward terms. "This fight is black and white," he said. "Islam has to take me down, and I have to keep it standing." He described Makhachev as "unbelievably good when he gets a hold of you" and called himself "an amazing mover and the best striker in the world." "The point is who can impose their game — who can control where the fight takes place," he said.

The co-main event is a battle between two of the UFC's premier grapplers. Strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern (16-5) is a two-time IBJJF World Jiu-Jitsu Championship winner and a one-time ADCC Submission Fighting World Championship winner. Challenger Gillian Robertson (17-8) has no pure jiu-jitsu competition background but has finished seven of her 14 UFC wins by submission and averages 2.76 takedowns per 15 minutes.

Dern said she expects Robertson to go beyond simply taking her down. "She's not just going to take me down and stay safe — she's going to try to take the back," Dern said, adding that she does not want to find herself in a bad position. Still, she expressed confidence: "She definitely has weaknesses, and I have never been submitted. I have a secret weapon."

Robertson, who earned her title shot in her 21st UFC appearance, said she respects Dern's jiu-jitsu but believes the MMA context plays to her advantage. "Mackenzie's jiu-jitsu is incredible, but this is MMA, and I can shine here," she said. She predicted a long fight, saying she plans to survive the early rounds and show her best in the later stages. "Nobody in the UFC has a jiu-jitsu resume like hers, and nobody has submitted her — so if I can do it, that would be a huge achievement," she said, signaling she will not shy away from a grappling exchange.

UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry will be streamed live on Tving, with the main card beginning at 10 a.m. and the undercard at 8 a.m. Sunday (Korean Standard Time).