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Islam Makhachev scores head kick knockdown, ultimately controls Ian Machado Garry to retain title in UFC 330 main event

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3 weeks ago

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Islam Makhachev scores head kick knockdown, ultimately controls Ian Machado Garry to retain title in UFC 330 main event

Islam Makhachev now holds the record for the most consecutive wins in UFC history with 17 in a row after he defeated Ian Machado Garry in a back-and-forth battle in the main event at UFC 330.

The previous record for 16 in a row was held by Anderson Silva but now Makhachev stands alone while also defending his welterweight title for the first time.

It was a grueling fight that Makhachev had to gut out the victory after he nearly scored a finish early on when he clipped Garry with a head kick that sent the Irishman crashing to the canvas. Garry survived and gave Makhachev everything he could handle but the Russian's wrestling, grappling and ground control were just too much to overcome.

When it was over the judges scored the fight 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 with Makhachev getting the unanimous decision victory.

“Ian is a great fighter, a good man and I just respect him,†Makhachev said after the victory. “He gave me a hard time but I still prove every fight. Thank you for this match. Maybe in Australia, the first one [with Alexander Volkanovski], it's also very hard. I feel guys have more power [at welterweight], very hard to submit them but still my game is working.â€

As for Garry, he offered no excuses in defeat and repeatedly praised Makhachev's team as the best in the world.

“Nothing surprised me,†Garry said after suffering just the second loss of his career. “I have nothing but respect for Islam. I believed in my heart and my soul I was better than him tonight. He won. I have no complaints. No excuses. This is the best camp of my life. I'm proud of my team.

“This man won tonight. I'm OK. I can take that on my sleeve, regroup and get better. I'll be back.â€

Some early leg kicks led to Makhachev diving for a single-leg and putting Garry on the ground early in the opening round. Makhachev maintained control as he sought to take Garry's back while peppering the challenger with knees.

Garry did manage to get back to his feet but he couldn't break Makhachev's hand control as the first round came to an end.

On the restart, Garry opened with kicks including one going up to the head and an oblique kick trying to go after Makhachev's knee. Makhachev ended up grabbing the Muay Thai plum to throw knees and on separation, the welterweight champion threw a head kick that stunned Garry and send him crashing to the ground.

Makhachev immediately secured a takedown and moved into side control where he began raining down punches and elbows. Garry survived but Makhachev made quite a statement with the head kick in the second round.

It didn't take long for Makhachev to secure another takedown but Garry managed to reverse positions to escape and get back to his feet. Garry started throwing more kicks as he tried to maintain his reach advantage and Makhachev was suddenly operating on his backfoot.

The fourth round opened with Garry slamming home a body kick as he continued gaining momentum over the champion. Makhachev finally shot inside and secured another takedown as Garry worked to get back to his feet.

That led to Makhachev getting a underneath Garry, lifting him into the air and bringing him crashing back down to the canvas. Garry kept trying to break free but Makhachev maintained control while attempting to drag him back down again.

With five minutes remaining, Garry stung Makhachev with a stiff punch to open the round followed by a nasty body kick. A takedown from Makhachev was quickly countered by Garry as they battled for position against the cage.

But Makhachev finally exploded and secured the takedown before taking Garry's back on the ground. Makhachev latched onto the body triangle while trying to set up submissions and Garry was stuck hand fighting just to prevent getting caught in something.

With time running out, Makhachev started punching from the back and Garry just couldn't escape and that effectively ended the fight.

While not his most impressive showing, Makhachev showed he can find a way to win even if some of his best and most effective weapons get neutralized. He maintains his position as welterweight champion and undoubtedly proves again he's the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport.

Meanwhile, Garry may have suffered a loss but he still showed he belongs in there with the best of the best and considering his performance, there's a good chance it won't take him that long to earn another shot at welterweight gold.

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MMA

Cris Cyborg wants to ‘save’ UFC 332 with Amanda Nunes revenge fight

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3 hours ago

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September 5, 2026

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Cris Cyborg wants to ‘save’ UFC 332 with Amanda Nunes revenge fight
Cris
Cyborg has offered the
Ultimate Fighting Championship a solution to its UFC 332
main event problem.

Cyborg took to social media to call for a rematch with former
two-division champion Amanda
Nunes, suggesting the fight could headline the Oct. 3 numbered
event in Salt Lake City, which still doesn't have an announced
headliner. The pair faced off back in 2018, when Nunes won via
first-round KO.

Cris Cyborg calls for Amanda Nunes rematch after UFC 332
headliner uncertainty

A women's flyweight title fight between Valentina
Shevchenko and Natalia
Silva was rumored for UFC 332, but recent reports indicate
Shevchenko has been forced to withdraw. With other UFC champions
having recently fought or already booked for later events, the
promotion appears to be scrambling to find a viable headliner.

Cyborg has offered a solution. The former UFC champ took to X to
call for a rematch with her former foe, Nunes. The latter was
expected to take on Kayla
Harrison earlier this year, but a neck injury to Harrison saw
the matchup fall through.

“[Amanda Nunes] tired of waiting for [Kayla Harrison]?†Cyborg
wrote on X. “Feel like saving an UFC event?â€

They initially squared off at
UFC 232 in December 2018, when Nunes emerged victorious to
become a double champ. “The Lioness†retired in 2023, while Cyborg
most recently competed at
PFL Tampa on Aug. 22, defeating Ketlen
Vieira by unanimous decision in what was expected to be her
final mixed martial arts bout.

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MMA

UFC Paris: 'Hooker vs. Parnasse' Live Results and Highlights

Published

5 hours ago

on

September 5, 2026

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UFC Paris: 'Hooker vs. Parnasse' Live Results and Highlights
Trending:

NSAC doubles down on punishment for UFC 329 fighters, fines Paddy Pimblett and two other big names

The Octagon returns to France for today's UFC Paris event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Dan Hooker vs. Salahdine Parnasse.

Hooker (24-14 MMA) will enter the contest with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. ‘The Hangman' most previously competed this past February at UFC 325 in Sydney, where he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Benoit Saint Denis. That setback was preceded by a submission loss to Arman Tsarukyan in November of last year. Prior to those defeats, Dan Hooker had put together a three-fight winning streak, a stretch which included victories over Jalin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot.

Meanwhile, Salahdine Parnasse (23-2 MMA) will be making his Octagon debut this evening in Paris. The former two-division KSW champion will enter the contest on a five-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory coming over Kenneth Cross at May's ‘Rousey vs. Carano' MVP MMA event.

Today's UFC Paris event is co-headlined by a lightweight bout featuring Fares Ziam taking on Axel Sola.

Ziam (18-5 MMA) will enter the contest looking to rebound, this after suffering a decision loss to Tom Nolan in his most recent Octagon appearance this past June. Prior to that setback, the ‘Smile Killer' had strung together a six-fight winning streak, a stretch which included knockout victories over Matt Frevola and Nazim Sadykhov.

Meanwhile, Axel Sola (12-1-1 MMA) most previously competed this past July, where he scored a first-round submission victory over Ismael Bonfim. Prior to that triumph, the Frenchman was coming off the first loss of his professional career which he suffered at the hands of Mason Jones by way of unanimous decision.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested, today's UFC Paris main card lineup also features a highly anticipated middleweight contest between Michael Page and Nursulton Ruziboev.

Michael ‘Venom' Page walking out at UFC London. Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Page (25-3 MMA) will enter the bout on a three-fight winning streak, this after scoring decision victories over Sharabutdin Magomedov, Jared Cannonier and Sam Patterson in his most recent Octagon appearances. Prior to those triumphs, ‘Venom' had suffered a decision loss to recent UFC welterweight title challenger Ian Machado Garry.

Meanwhile, Nursulton Ruziboev (37-9-2 MMA) also currently boasts a three-fight winning streak, with his most recent Octagon victory coming over Andrey Pulyaev via submission this past June. The Uzbekistan native has gone 12-1 over his past thirteen fights overall.

Get all of today's live results and highlights below:

UFC Paris Main Card (3pm EST on Paramount+)

Lightweight: Dan Hooker vs. Salahdine Parnasse –

Lightweight: Farès Ziam vs. Axel Sola –

Middleweight: Michael Page vs. Nursulton Ruziboev –

Welterweight: Daniil Donchenko vs. Punahele Soriano –

Featherweight: Kurtis Campbell vs. Trevor Peek –

Featherweight: Losene Keita vs. Muhammad Naimov –

UFC Paris Prelims (12pm EST on Paramount+)

Featherweight: Morgan Charrière vs. Felipe Lima –

Heavyweight: Mário Pinto vs. Ryan Spann –

Light Heavyweight – Oumar Sy vs. Modestas Bukauskas – Bukauskas def. Sy via TKO (knee and punches) at 3:57 of Round 2

Featherweight: Nathaniel Wood vs. Pavel Andrusca – Andrusca def. Wood by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

Flyweight: Michael Aljarouj vs. Fabià Sintes – Sintes def. Aljarouj by unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 29-27)

Women's Bantamweight: Nora Cornolle vs. Klaudia Syguła – Cornolle def. Syguła by unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Middleweight: Matthieu Letho Duclos vs. Luis Felipe Dias – Duclos def. Dias via TKO (punches) at 4:35 of Round 1

Women's Strawweight: Delphine Benouaich vs. Sofia Montenegro – Benouaich def. Montenegro via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:22 of Round 2

Who are you picking to win today's event headliner between Dan Hooker and Salahdine Parnasse? Share your predictions in the comment section PENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

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MMA

Movsar Evloev has a blunt response to Alexander Volkanovski’s UFC 333 plan

Published

7 hours ago

on

September 5, 2026

By

Movsar Evloev has a blunt response to Alexander Volkanovski’s UFC 333 plan
While Movsar
Evloev is grateful to be taking on a legend in his maiden title
bout in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship, the Russian foresees one-way
traffic.

Evloev (20-0) is set to challenge Volkanovski (28-4) for the UFC
featherweight championship in the
UFC 333 main event on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi. The matchup has
been brewing for quite some time now and Evloev claims his skills
have improved, predicting he'll have his way against the two-time
Aussie champ.

Movsar Evloev questions Alexander Volkanovski's strategy ahead
of their UFC 333 title fight

Evloev opened up about his upcoming fight with Volkanovski in an
interview with MMA Junkie, in which he outlined his improvements in
the striking department.

“To become a champion while beating a legend, that’s the dream of
fighters,†Evloev said. “My skills are getting better. My striking,
everyone noticed, is a little bit better than I do before. We’re
confident to fight with a guy like Alex. We respect him. We’ll
respect him even after we beat him. Nothing but respect, but this
is my time.â€

Volkanovski has previously expressed confidence in his ability to
deal with Evloev’s wrestling pressure and force the fight into a
striking battle. The latter questions the champ's approach.

“He's been a little illogical,†Evloev added. “I will do anything I
want. Whenever I decide to take him down, I will take him down… I’m
not scared of his striking skills, too. He’s great. But like I
said, my time is coming. Oct. 24, everybody will see. I’m going to
win.â€

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