Islam Makhachev beats Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330, extends winning streak to 17

Islam Makhachev defeated Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision at UFC 330 in Philadelphia on Saturday night, extending his winning run to 17 fights. The Russian retained his welterweight title as the judges scored the bout 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.

Makhachev entered the fight as the defending welterweight champion and improved his professional record to 29-1 in MMA with the victory. Garry had been attempting to become only the second undisputed UFC champion from Ireland but was unable to produce sufficient offence during the grappling exchanges.

Throughout the fight Makhachev controlled the action with a mix of chain wrestling and prolonged top control that repeatedly pushed Garry out of position. He paired that pressure with striking, including a head kick in the second round that caused visible damage, while Garry relied on defensive scrambles to survive several difficult positions.

After the decision Garry said inside the Octagon after the decision, "I have nothing but respect for Islam ... he won. I have no complaints, no excuses." Makhachev, when asked about going through the championship rounds against Garry, said: "It's always hard."

The win moves Makhachev past Anderson Silva's previous UFC consecutive-win mark of 16, a record that had stood since 2013. The judges' scores gave Makhachev the unanimous decision and extended his streak to 17 straight UFC victories.

In the co-main event Mackenzie Dern retained the women's strawweight title, defeating Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision after five rounds; Dern dominated the grappling and repeatedly threatened submissions. On the undercard Jalin Turner stopped Kaue Fernandes with a first-round knockout in 39 seconds, and Dustin Stoltzfus submitted Mansur Abdul-Malik with a rear-naked choke in the second round.

The event also featured the retirement announcement of Edson Barboza, who informed the crowd inside the Octagon after a second-round stoppage loss to Esteban Ribovics. The 40-year-old leaves the UFC following a 16-year run that produced 18 promotional wins, 14 finishes and 10 Fight of the Night bonuses.