Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry, women’s title fight headline UFC 330

UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev’s first title defense headlines the promotion’s long-awaited return to Philadelphia.

After Ilia Topuria’s shocking loss at UFC Freedom 250 on Sunday, UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev remains at the top of the heap of the pound-for-pound rankings. Makhachev became the UFC’s latest two-division titleholder when he defeated Jack Della Maddalena to win the welterweight title last year at UFC 322.

Makhachev was briefly linked to a potential super fight against Topuria leading up to UFC Freedom 250, before contract talks stalled. Both sides accused the other of being responsible for the fight not coming to fruition on the White House lawn.

With Topuria temporarily out of the welterweight picture, Makhachev can resume his attention towards the division’s top contenders, including Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates, and Michael Morales. After weeks of debate over who deserves the next UFC welterweight title shot, the promotion has settled on one name for Makhachev’s first defense.

Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry set for UFC 330

As announced by the promotion on Wednesday, Makhachev will fight Garry in the UFC 330 main event on August 15th in Philadelphia.

Garry returns to the Octagon after defeating former UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad in November at UFC Qatar. He’s won back-to-back fights over Muhammad and Prates since suffering his first career loss at UFC 310 against Shavkat Rakhmonov.

Makhachev vs. Garry is the latest rivalry in Ireland vs. Dagestan MMA. The matchup shares many links to the infamous feud between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, which remains hot years after their fight.

The UFC 330 co-main event features the return of strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern against Gillian Robertson. Dern won the then-vacant strawweight title last year at UFC 321, while Robertson has won five fights in a row.

The full UFC 330 fight lineup is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

What is your prediction for Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry? Let us know in the comments!