Makhachev pursues record win streak in welterweight title defense against Machado Garry

Islam Makhachev defends his welterweight title against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on Saturday, according to BBC Sport. The bout carries historic stakes for Makhachev, a 34-year-old Russian fighter chasing his 17th consecutive victory, one shy of Anderson Silva's UFC record for the longest win streak.

Makhachev held the lightweight title before vacating the belt in January 2025 and holds the record for lightweight title fight victories with five defenses, per BBC Sport. He told supporters at the weigh-ins he is ready to make the fanbase happy with victory and described Machado Garry as his next target.

Machado Garry, 28, from Ireland, enters undefeated at the UFC level despite carrying an overall record of 17 wins and one loss. His sole UFC defeat came against Shavkat Rakhmonov, and he has won 10 of his 11 fights since making his UFC debut in 2021, according to BBC Sport. At the weigh-ins, Machado Garry told booing fans they should be grateful to watch two of the biggest fighters in the sport. Both fighters weighed 170lb for the contest, confirmed by BBC Sport.

Machado Garry is aiming to become just the second man to defeat Makhachev. A victory would mark a significant upset of a pound-for-pound elite champion and hand Makhachev his first setback in nearly two years.

Mackenzie Dern defends her strawweight title against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event, according to BBC Sport.