Islam Makhachev beats Ian Machado Garry to set UFC winning streak record

Islam Makhachev has set a new record for the longest winning streak in UFC history by defeating Ian Machado Garry to retain his welterweight title at UFC 330.

The defending champion secured a dominant victory on Saturday to successfully retain his 170-pound crown for the first time.

His latest triumph breaks the all-time consecutive wins record and cements his status among the greatest fighters in the history of mixed martial arts.

Despite stepping up from the lightweight division, the Russian star continues to suffocate opponents with relentless grappling pressure.

A challenging path at welterweight

Makhachev previously captured the welterweight championship with a decision victory over Jack Della Maddalena last November.

He is noticeably smaller than traditional contenders in his new weight class, making his sustained success even more remarkable.

The divisional transition has seen a drop in his stoppage rate, having recorded finishes in eight of his final nine bouts at 155 pounds.

He has yet to secure a finish across his two welterweight appearances.

However, shutting down naturally larger opponents like Garry demonstrates a different, arguably more impressive, type of dominance.

Dern retains strawweight crown

Elsewhere on the UFC 330 card, Mackenzie Dern delivered an equally impressive co-main event performance.

The grappling specialist secured a unanimous decision victory over Gillian Robertson to successfully defend her strawweight championship.

Dern continues to show noticeable improvements in her all-round striking and wrestling game with each octagon appearance.

Her continued evolution inevitably sets up a highly anticipated future clash with Chinese superstar Zhang Weili.