Makhachev v Machado Garry - UFC 330 fight predictions
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- Islam Makhachev defends his UFC welterweight title for the first time against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on Saturday, with both fighters weighing in at 170lb (12st 2lb).
- Makhachev, 34, enters the bout chasing a 17th consecutive UFC victory, which would surpass Anderson Silva's record of 16 straight wins.
- Machado Garry, 28, has won 10 of his 11 UFC bouts since his 2021 debut, with his only defeat coming against Shavkat Rakhmonov.
- Polled UFC peers leaned heavily toward Makhachev: Tom Aspinall, Alexander Volkanovski, Brandon Moreno, Daniel Rodriguez, Sean Brady, Jorge Masvidal, and Matt Brown all picked the champion, while Sean O'Malley, Carlos Prates and Mauricio Ruffy sided with Machado Garry and Georges St-Pierre stayed neutral.
- At the weigh-ins, Machado Garry told booing fans they "should be grateful" to watch "two of the biggest fighters ever in this sport," while Makhachev called the Irishman his "next target."
- The co-main event sees Mackenzie Dern defend her strawweight belt against Gillian Robertson, though prediction focus centered on the welterweight title fight.
Why it matters: Seven of eleven polled UFC fighters and champions picked Makhachev, but three active roster members — including bantamweight star Sean O'Malley — publicly backed the upset, and GSP refused to commit without seeing whether Makhachev can impose his grappling. The split signals that, despite Makhachev's consensus-favorite status and Anderson Silva's 16-fight UFC record on the line, Machado Garry's frame, age and 10-1 UFC run are enough that the champion's own peers don't treat the bout as a foregone conclusion.
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