Islam Makhachev successfully defended his UFC welterweight title Saturday, beating Ireland’s Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia while setting a UFC record.
With the victory, Russia's Makhachev etched his name alone in the UFC record books, extending his winning streak to 17 consecutive fights and surpassing UFC Hall of Famer Anderson Silva's historic 16-fight mark set from 2006-13.
Makhachev dictated the tempo throughout the 25-minute championship tilt, neutralizing the challenger with suffocating top control and chain wrestling while mixing in dynamic striking, including a damaging second-round head kick.
Garry, bidding to become only the second undisputed UFC champion hailing from Ireland, stayed diligent in defensive scrambles on the mat to survive danger, but could not mount enough offense to sway the judges' scorecards.
"I believed in my heart and soul I was better than him tonight, and he won," Machado Garry Garry said inside the Octagon following the decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47).
"No complaints, no excuses. I'm 28, I have a decade of domination already. This man won tonight," he added.
"He gave me a hard time, but I still prove it every fight," Makhachev said of grinding out the victory against the challenger in the championship rounds.
He took his share of head kicks in his first title defense, notably in the third round that did most of the cosmetic damage, yet bested a record set by Silva that had stood for 13 years.
"If he keeps going like he says he's going to keep going, it might never be beaten," UFC CEO Dana White said.
The 34-year-old Makhachev nearly ended the fight in the second when he threw his left foot and caught Machado Garry flush with a headkick that dropped the challenger to his rear end.
Makhachev pounced with a series of punches that had the sellout crowd of 19,238 fans roaring in anticipation of a quick finish, only for Machado Garry – serenaded throughout with obscenity-laced chants – to hold on and finish the round.
Machado Garry (17-2) won the third round on all three scorecards and rallied in the fifth round with seven significant strikes landed to none for Makhachev.
Yet it wasn't enough to topple one of UFC's great fighters.
Makhachev – who held the lightweight championship and has seven total wins in title fights – continues to dominate no matter the weight class.
