Islam Makhachev scores head kick knockdown, ultimately controls Ian Machado Garry to retain title in UFC 330 main event

Islam Makhachev now holds the record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history with 17 in a row after he defeated Ian Machado Garry in a back-and-forth battle in the main event at UFC 330.

The previous record for 16 in a row was held by Anderson Silva but now Makhachev stands alone while also defending his welterweight title for the first time.

It was a grueling fight that Makhachev had to gut out the victory after he nearly scored a finish early on when he clipped Garry with a head kick that sent the Irishman crashing to the canvas. Garry survived and gave Makhachev everything he could handle but the Russian’s wrestling, grappling and ground control were just too much to overcome.

When it was over the judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 with Makhachev getting the unanimous decision victory.

“Ian is a great fighter, a good man and I just respect him,” Makhachev said after the victory. “He gave me a hard time but I still prove every fight. Thank you for this match. Maybe in Australia, the first one [with Alexander Volkanovski], it’s also very hard. I feel guys have more power [at welterweight], very hard to submit them but still my game is working.”

As for Garry, he offered no excuses in defeat and repeatedly praised Makhachev’s team as the best in the world.

“Nothing surprised me,” Garry said after suffering just the second loss of his career. “I have nothing but respect for Islam. I believed in my heart and my soul I was better than him tonight. He won. I have no complaints. No excuses. This is the best camp of my life. I’m proud of my team.

“This man won tonight. I’m OK. I can take that on my sleeve, regroup and get better. I’ll be back.”

Some early leg kicks led to Makhachev diving for a single-leg and putting Garry on the ground early in the opening round. Makhachev maintained control as he sought to take Garry’s back while peppering the challenger with knees.

Garry did manage to get back to his feet but he couldn’t break Makhachev’s hand control as the first round came to an end.

On the restart, Garry opened with kicks including one going up to the head and an oblique kick trying to go after Makhachev’s knee. Makhachev ended up grabbing the Muay Thai plum to throw knees and on separation, the welterweight champion threw a head kick that stunned Garry and send him crashing to the ground.

Makhachev immediately secured a takedown and moved into side control where he began raining down punches and elbows. Garry survived but Makhachev made quite a statement with the head kick in the second round.

It didn’t take long for Makhachev to secure another takedown but Garry managed to reverse positions to escape and get back to his feet. Garry started throwing more kicks as he tried to maintain his reach advantage and Makhachev was suddenly operating on his backfoot.

The fourth round opened with Garry slamming home a body kick as he continued gaining momentum over the champion. Makhachev finally shot inside and secured another takedown as Garry worked to get back to his feet.

That led to Makhachev getting a underneath Garry, lifting him into the air and bringing him crashing back down to the canvas. Garry kept trying to break free but Makhachev maintained control while attempting to drag him back down again.

With five minutes remaining, Garry stung Makhachev with a stiff punch to open the round followed by a nasty body kick. A takedown from Makhachev was quickly countered by Garry as they battled for position against the cage.

But Makhachev finally exploded and secured the takedown before taking Garry’s back on the ground. Makhachev latched onto the body triangle while trying to set up submissions and Garry was stuck hand fighting just to prevent getting caught in something.

With time running out, Makhachev started punching from the back and Garry just couldn’t escape and that effectively ended the fight.

While not his most impressive showing, Makhachev showed he can find a way to win even if some of his best and most effective weapons get neutralized. He maintains his position as welterweight champion and undoubtedly proves again he’s the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

Meanwhile, Garry may have suffered a loss but he still showed he belongs in there with the best of the best and considering his performance, there’s a good chance it won’t take him that long to earn another shot at welterweight gold.