Human after all: Ian Machado Garry made Islam Makhachev bleed at UFC 330
Islam Makhachev defeated Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, though the fight was closer than expected. Despite Makhachev's victory, Garry's ability to inflict visible damage challenged the champion's perceived invincibility.
Why it matters
The fight shifts the narrative surrounding the welterweight division, suggesting that the champion is vulnerable and creating new intrigue for future matchups.
UFC 330 went down from the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and featured an intriguing main event between Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry. If you only saw the scorecards (49–46, 49–46, and 48–47), you might assume it was another easy night for Makhachev, who was widely expected to dominate Garry easily. But that wasn't how it went down at all.
The first round saw Makhachev struggle to take Garry down, and it didn't get any easier from there. By round three, Garry used Makhachev's own momentum to faceplant the Dagestani into the canvas before grinding back to his feet. There was no Jack Della Maddalena style wilting on display. Garry only got more confident as the fight went on, while Makhachev's face got more bruised and his breathing became deeper (watch the highlights here).
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