Islam Makhachev is still the UFC welterweight champion after a gutsy win over Ian Machado Garry.
Makhachev defeated Garry via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) to retain the 170-pound title in the UFC 330 main event Saturday night at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Makhachev earned his 17th straight victory, breaking Anderson Silva's record for the longest winning streak in UFC history. Silva, a former middleweight champion, had owned the longest winning streak since 2010 and reached his 16th consecutive victory in 2012.
Makhachev's first welterweight title defense was competitive, but he secured the judges' nod by delivering the biggest moments of the fight. He dropped Garry with a head kick in the second round and accumulated over 12 minutes of control time on the ground.
ISLAM MAKHACHEV DROPS IAN GARRY WITH A MASSIVE HEAD KICK IN ROUND 2 😳 #UFC330 pic.twitter.com/tusW1xnEYx
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 16, 2026
Makhachev moved up in weight last year following a dominant lightweight title reign that spanned 2022-25. He dominated Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last November to win the welterweight belt and become the 11th two-division champion in promotion history.
The 34-year-old Dagestani hasn't lost since his second Octagon appearance in 2015.
Garry challenged for the welterweight title for the first time. The 28-year-old Irishman earned a crack at Makhachev with back-to-back wins over Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates. This was his first loss since he dropped a unanimous decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 last December.
