UFC 330 roundtable: Is Islam Makhachev the next pound-for-pound great to fall?
MMA Fighting analysts discuss the upcoming UFC 330 title fight between welterweight champion Islam Makhachev and challenger Ian Machado Garry. The roundtable evaluates the likelihood of an upset and the broader implications for the pound-for-pound rankings.
Why it matters
The fight represents a potential shift in the sport's hierarchy, as the current pound-for-pound elite have faced significant losses throughout the year.
Islam Makhachev is no stranger to impressive title defenses, but for the first time, he enters the octagon as welterweight champion and against a challenger with no shortage of confidence.
What does Ian Machado Garry have to lose? Everyone expects Makhachev to run through him, but if Garry authors an upset, he could join Justin Gaethje, Ciryl Gane, and Sean Strickland on the list of underdogs that have turned the pound-for-pound rankings upside down. Let’s see just how wacky 2026 can get.
Ahead of UFC 330 on Saturday, MMA Fighting’s Alexander K. Lee, Mike Heck, and Damon Martin discuss what these defenses mean for champions Islam Makhachev and Mackenzie Dern, plus we pick our most intriguing undercard fight of the lineup.
1. Out of 10, how much of an upset would Ian Machado Garry beating Islam Makhachev be?
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