UFC is back in Philadelphia for UFC 330 with two title fights. Reigning welterweight kingpin and former lightweight titleholder Islam Makhachev returns to the Octagon for the first defense of his 170-pound crown. Standing in his way is an unlikely challenger, outspoken Irishman Ian Machado Garry, who had regained momentum after his lone career loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2024. With a win, Makhachev will further cement his place in history by holding the longest UFC win streak in history at 17. The co-main event also marks the first appearance for Mackenzie Dern as strawweight champion. Dern has a stiff test in front of her, facing fellow submission wizard Gillian Robertson, who — alongside Amanda Nunes at 10 — has the most finishes for a woman in UFC history. Outside of the top two servings, UFC 330 is a slog to the finish line. Yet, you simply can't give a card with two solid title bouts any grade below a D. So we won't be doing that for this weekend's showcase. 👑 UFC 330's lineup Crown grade: D 👑
Islam Makhachev looks to continue cementing his place in MMA history with a successful first welterweight title defense. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Chris Unger via Getty Images
170 pounds: Islam Makhachev (-350) vs. Ian Machado Garry (+275)
Makhachev is in a weird spot, isn't he? Not in the sense that he's done anything wrong. Quite the opposite. He's done everything right. So right that he's legitimately one of the best fighters of all time, yet still hasn't reached that universal status of being in those discussions on a regular basis — despite capturing a second divisional title. If Makhachev makes a successful defense, that story very well may change drastically. The typical dominance that he displays would make that even more likely. In terms of well-roundedness, Makhachev makes a strong case for being the best ever at everything. It sounds funny to say it like that, but it's true. Often compared to his predecessor, the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has that same unbelievably strong Sambo background that often goes unmatched when dragging foes to the mat. But on the feet, Makhachev can strike with the best of them, and is sharper and more technical than many remembered Khabib to be. More often than not, he likes to show that striking off, too. That's what made his Jack Della Maddalena welterweight title win all the more impressive to me: He completely smothered, dominated and broke the larger champion. Hindsight hurts that performance for some, seeing "JDM" lose his rebound effort to Carlos Prates earlier this year. However, it's easy to forget how well Della Maddalena's defensive grappling looked against strong grappler and former champion Belal Muhammad. If Makhachev can do what he did in his first welterweight appearance with the same degree of ease, he's going to retire without another loss. All of that is to say that Garry is the perfect foil for another massive 2026 upset. As bold as I want to be and go the route of Garry pulling this off, which is possible, I can't. Garry has certainly tightened the holes he displayed in his lone loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov two years ago. Even then, the deficiencies that Garry displayed weren't that deep. It was one of the few stock-raising performances in a loss, as Garry strongly defended Rakhmonov's ever-so-slightly superior grappling game. That didn't come without good offensive moments for Garry either, ending the fight on Rakhmonov's back. Obviously, Garry will need to be more on point than he was in that loss. His strengths lie in the striking, where he'll look to pick apart Makhachev with his rangy distance striking, which he's nearly mastered. Stylistically, it's an incredibly capable skill set to stifle the legendary champion — it just won't be the most exciting. Garry is a smart fighter above all else, and it has gotten the job done outside of Rakhmonov's distance-closing victory. Expect this matchup to look relatively similar to Garry vs. Rakhmonov, perhaps with Makhachev showing more success in offensive grappling, given his superiority in that area. Pick: Makhachev
115 pounds: Mackenzie Dern (-210) vs. Gillian Robertson (+170)
The Dern era is upon us — for now. It's been one hell of a rollercoaster ride for Dern to reach the pinnacle of the strawweight division. The jiu-jitsu ace has rolled the rest of MMA's elements into her arsenal, fight by fight, to varying degrees of success. She's finally put it together enough to claim the 115-pound throne and finds herself positioned with a favorable first defense. I've said it countless times, particularly when it comes to the women: Killer instinct is crucial to success. Hell, it was arguably Rose Namajunas' biggest X-factor, and look what that led her to. That's all brought up to say Robertson has that killer instinct, and her record speaks for itself. Never could we have predicted that the ultra-green flyweight prospect on The Ultimate Fighter 26 would go on to tie Amanda Nunes' UFC finish record for women at 10. While known for her strong submission game like Dern, Robertson has greatly expanded her win streak, dominating with improved wrestling and vicious ground-and-pound. Admittedly, as long as this fight stays on the feet, we should expect a sloppy — but fun — war. Think something akin to Dern's first Virna Jandiroba fight. That was a great time, but far from anything resembling Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk 1. This fight has all the makings of a technical jiu-jitsu chess match, which ultimately boils down to who can find more top control. Dern's biggest MMA weakness has perpetually been her takedown ability. That has certainly improved very, very gradually on her path to champion status, but Robertson has her beat there. The upset is entirely possible. Dern just has a bit more tricks up her sleeve and will be able to reverse poor positions more often than Robertson. Pick: Dern
155 pounds: Jalin Turner (-160) vs. Kauê Fernandes (+135) Will the real Turner please stand up? It's extremely difficult to judge where Turner is at this stage of his career, unretiring to destroy the corpse of Edson Barboza in his last time out. That win was mighty impressive, but entirely a layup for the "Tarantula" and designed for him to shine. The colossal lightweight contender now goes back to fighting fellow future stars on his level. Kaue Fernandes has found a strong rhythm with his three-fight win streak. The savvy striker can give anyone across from him pause, chopping with nasty leg kicks and displaying a good grappling defense to keep fights at range. Realistically, if Turner is on, we all know how great he can be, and that's pretty great. He's a smashing force when in control and lands every shot with concussive force. The level of competition favors Turner by a good margin, and simply put, I have to trust that his head is back in the right place to do something on this "new" run. Pick: Turner
Mansur Abdul-Malik is on a path to rebound after a tough loss in Seattle in March. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Jeff Bottari via Getty Images
185 pounds: Mansur Abdul-Malik (-650) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+475) The UFC did Mansur Abdul-Malik a disservice in his last fight at UFC Seattle. I was there front row to see Yousri Belgaroui show the experience difference, walloping Abdul-Malik en route to a third-round stoppage. The guy is clearly one of the better prospects rising through the middleweight division, but there was no need to throw him into a matchup with such a talented former kickboxer. Regarding experience, Dustin Stoltzfus brings plenty to this matchup. But he's a very hittable target, which serves the powerful Abdul-Malik well. Essentially, if Abdul-Malik gets back to his bullying ways and goes blow-for-blow with Stoltzfus, he should have a field day. Pick: Abdul-Malik
155 pounds: Edson Barboza (+425) vs. Esteban Ribovics (-600) Speaking of the corpse of Barboza, this is his final MMA fight, folks. Somewhat of a low-key legend, Barboza was defined by talent and longevity, providing many excellent memories throughout his career. Father Time has simply caught up with him in recent years, as he rides a three-fight losing skid into this final dance. Considering the opposition, though, that's nothing to be ashamed of. Ribovics is a solid step down from Barboza's recent foes: Turner, Drakkar Klose and Lerone Murphy. With that said, Ribovics provides the exact style that's historically associated with Brazilian fights: a high-pressure game set to keep him moving defensively rather than offensively. As seen in his still-young UFC career, Ribovics can take shots aplenty. Barboza will need a clean one if he wants any hope of a picture-perfect sendoff. Pick: Ribovics
Preliminary Notes It kind of feels like the UFC just knows how to use Joel Alvarez. He's a phenomenally entertaining dude who has failed to make any real ascent into contender status. Against Chidi Njokuani, it's more of that weird no man's land, but wildly fun from a matchmaking perspective. Neil Magny is still doing the damn thing, buried in the prelims to get the night going. The man is once again an underdog, exactly how he likes it, while extending his UFC welterweight record for most fights. Myktybek Orolbai is also on this card, opening the night with a slaughter to be. He's another one of those guys with whom the UFC doesn't seem to know what to do. It can't rely on him for fights to lead him up the ladder, but he always delivers fun action. Of course, he and Alvarez hope to right their ships. Quick picks
Joel Álvarez (-300) def. Chidi Njokuani (+240)
Charles Johnson (-120) def. Eduardo Henrique (+100)
Donte Johnson (-250) def. Eric McConico (+200)
Vicente Luque (-105) def. Tresean Gore (-115)
Lucas Fernando (-300) def. Rafael Tobias (+240)
Neil Magny (+110) def. Ramiz Brahimaj (-135)
Myktybek Orolbai (-1100) def. Jeremiah Wells (+700)