UFC 330: Makhachev vs Machado Garry Preview
Philadelphia is set to host UFC 330: Makhachev vs Machado Garry at the Xfinity Mobile Arena. This marks the first numbered UFC event in the city in over 15 years, and the first UFC event since March 2019. The fight card suggests a potential for multiple stoppages, with previous events in Philadelphia featuring a series of finishes.
The event features a lineup of pairings, including the main event where Islam Makhachev defends his welterweight title. The co-main event will see Mackenzie Dern putting her strawweight title on the line.
Welterweight Championship Main Event
Islam Makhachev will defend his welterweight title against Irish contender Ian Machado Garry. Makhachev secured the welterweight belt after defeating Jack Della Maddalena, a victory that extended his winning streak, matching Anderson Silva’s record for the longest win streak in UFC history.
Machado Garry earned his title shot after collecting two wins, defeating Carlos Prates and former champion Belal Muhammad. Despite his recent wins being decided by scorecards, his schedule and marketability contributed to this title opportunity. A notable aspect of this fight is the size difference, with Makhachev giving up four inches in height and reach to Machado Garry, who has demonstrated takedown defense, footwork, and effective use of his length.
Makhachev, born in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Russia, began martial arts training as a child and became an accomplished combat sambo competitor, winning the World Combat Sambo Championship in 2016. His professional MMA career started in 2010, and he joined the UFC in 2015. He became the UFC Lightweight Champion in 2022 after defeating Charles Oliveira, and defended that belt three times, including two victories over Alexander Volkanovski and one against Dustin Poirier.
Outside the Octagon, Makhachev has commercial partnerships with brands such as Monster Energy, Gorilla Energy, Wahed Invest, Milaf, YoungLA, and Al Hadaya. His estimated net worth is around $6 million, primarily from UFC fight purses, bonuses, pay-per-view earnings, and sponsorships.
Women’s Strawweight Co-Main Event
The co-main event features Mackenzie Dern defending her strawweight title for the first time against Gillian Robertson. Dern claimed the vacant title, coming back to defeat Virna Jandiroba. A multiple-time world champion in Brazilian jiu jitsu and a submission grappler, Dern has also worked on improving her striking throughout her UFC career.
Robertson enters this fight with a strong record, having won five consecutive fights and six of seven since returning to the strawweight division. Her most recent victory was against Amanda Lemos. Robertson is a grappler and holds the record for the most submission wins of any female fighter in UFC history. She is also tied with Amanda Nunes for the most overall finishes on the women’s side of the sport.
The outcome of this fight may depend on Robertson’s ability to control the fight’s location and progression, particularly in the clinch or from top position, to counter Dern’s attempts to create space or seek submissions.
Additional Main Card Matchups
The main card also includes a flyweight bout between American veteran Charles Johnson and Jose Ochoa. This will be Johnson’s fourth start of the year and fifth appearance in the last calendar year, dating back to his knockout win over Lone’er Kavanagh in Shanghai last August. He has alternated results over his last six fights, entering this contest after a submission loss to Asu Almabayev in June. Johnson holds a significant experience advantage.
Ochoa, from Peru, has a professional record of 9-2. He has faced both Kavanagh and Almabayev, with competitive battles against each. Between those contests, he secured a stoppage win over Cody Durden and a unanimous decision victory over Clayton Carpenter at UFC 328 in May. Ochoa is among the young talents in the 125-pound division, while Johnson is a fighter who has been active on the roster for over four years.
Another main card fight features Mansur Abdul-Malik against Dustin Stoltzfus. Both fighters are graduates of Dana White’s Contender Series and have roots in Pennsylvania. Abdul-Malik is returning after experiencing the first loss of his professional career.
Other main card bouts include Edson Barboza versus Esteban Ribovics. The preliminary matches feature Chidi Njokuani against Joel Alvarez, Jalin Turner against Kaue Fernandes, Donte Johnson against Eric McConico, Vicente Luque against Tresean Gore, Rafael Tobias against Lucas Fernando, Neil Magny against Ramiz Brahimaj, and Jeremiah Wells against Myktybek Orolbai. The event is scheduled for Saturday.
Source: ufc.com
