Islam Makhachev faces Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia

Two title fights top the card in Philadelphia

The No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA finally has his next assignment.

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev will make the first defense of his 170-pound title when he tangles with No. 1-ranked Ian Garry atop the upcoming UFC 330 fight card on Paramount+, scheduled for Sat., Aug. 15, 2026 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The promotion announced the five-round headliner on Wednesday. In the UFC […]

Islam Makhachev and Mackenzie Dern are set for title defenses at UFC 330

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts to his win over Jack Della Maddalena of Australia in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 322 event at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Islam Makhachev’s first welterweight title defense is set for UFC 330 against top contender Ian Machado Garry. On Wednesday, the UFC announced that Makhachev (28-1) will fight Garry (17-1) in the Aug. 15 main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, with strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern (16-5) defending her title against Gillian Robertson (17-8) in the co-main event. Makhachev won the welterweight title with a dominant decision win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. He previously held the UFC lightweight title, successfully defending it a record four consecutive times before vacating it and moving up to 170 pounds. Since suffering his lone loss in 2015, Makhachev has won 16 straight fights. This is a wish come true for Garry, who has been campaigning for the Makhachev bout to become official amid frequent rumors that he would be his first challenger. “The Future” began his career 15-0 before losing a decision to Shavkat Rakhmonov, but has rebounded with back-to-back wins over former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates. Dern earned the opportunity to battle for a vacant strawweight title following champion Zhang Weili’s exit to pursue a fight with flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko. In Zhang’s absence, Dern defeated Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 this past October to claim the championship. Her first defense will be against Canada’s Robertson, a former flyweight who is 6-1 since dropping down to the 115-pound division. Robertson has won five straight fights, most recently outpointing one-time title challenger Amanda Lemos in March.

Dagestan vs. Ireland will be revived when Islam Makhachev puts welterweight gold on the line vs. Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in August.