Makhachev defends welterweight title vs. Machado Garry at UFC 330

The UFC's pound-for-pound king will still be sitting comfortably atop his throne.

Islam Makhachev made sure of it on Saturday night, defending his welterweight title against top-ranked contender Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) in the main event of UFC 330.

Makhachev, 34, continued his reign of dominance in the octagon with the victory — he's now won 17 consecutive fights, spanning back to 2016. The Dagestani brawler is now 18-1-0 in the UFC and 29-1-0 in MMA.

The win also marked Makhachev's first title defence of the welterweight belt he first claimed with a unanimous decision victory over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last year. Prior to a move up to 170 pounds, Makhachev had dominated the lightweight ranks for a three-year span. First claiming a then-vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 280 in 2022 by submitting Charles Oliveira. He then successfully defended his title four times, against top competition such as Alexander Volkanovski (twice), Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.

As for Machado Garry, the loss snapped a two-fight win streak for the rising star and marked just his second loss under the banner. "The Future" is now 10-2-0 in the UFC and 17-2-0 in MMA.