UFC 330 is now official as the UFC has announced on Wednesday that two huge title fights will headline and co-headline the event.
In the main event, UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev defends his title against No. 1 contender Ian Machado Garry. Then, in the co-main event, UFC women’s strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern battles No. 5-ranked contender Gillian Robertson.
UFC 330 takes place on August 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[ #UFC330 is LIVE AUGUST 15 on @ParamountPlus ]
Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry Headlines UFC 330
It is not a surprise to anyone that the main event of UFC 330 features Makhachev against Machado Garry for the UFC welterweight title.
This bout has been rumored for several months now, and it is now official.
This bout will mark Makhachev’s first title defense since he defeated former champ Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 last November to claim the belt. He was rumored to fight Ilia Topuria at the UFC White House card, but for whatever reason, that fight never came to fruition.
Instead, Makhachev will make his first title defense against Machado Garry, who is one of the hottest welterweights in the game and who is well deserving of this title shot.
Machado Garry is 10-1 overall in the UFC, and he has won his last two fights over former champ Belal Muhammad and top contender Carlos Prates. The UFC is said to have considered giving Prates the title shot after he laid Della Maddalena to waste at UFC Perth last month, but in the end, they went with Machado Garry for the title shot instead.
Look for Makhachev to be a heavy favorite over Machado Garry as he looks to break the record for most UFC wins in a row. He currently has 16 straight wins, so one more win over Machado Garry would help him break the all-time UFC win streak record that he currently co-owns with the legend Anderson Silva.
Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson Co-Headlines UFC 330
In the co-main event, Dern puts the UFC women’s strawweight title on the line for the first time when she battles Robertson. There were rumors of this fight on social media for the last little while, so while it may be a surprise to some, there have been rumblings for a while that it could happen.
Dern has won three straight fights, including defeating Virna Jandiroba via unanimous decision at UFC 321 last October to claim the vacant belt. Many fans thought that former UFC women’s strawweight champion Weili Zhang would get the title shot, but instead, the promotion decided to go with Robertson.
Robertson has won five straight fights, so she enters this fight on a hot streak, and she has looked great for the most part since she dropped down to the UFC women’s strawweight division after opening up her career as a flyweight.
Since Dern is the champion, she will likely enter this bout as the favorite. But Robertson matches up well with the champ since she also has an elite ground game, making this a potentially very interesting title fight.
UFC 330 Made Official With 2 Huge Title Fights