Outside Source
The hierarchy of the 170-pound and women’s 115-pound divisions was at stake in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s return to Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Advertisement
The UFC 330 headliner saw Islam Makhachev (29-1, 18-1 UFC) cement his status as one of the best mixed martial artists ever as he outpointed Irish challenger Ian Garry (17-2, 10-2 UFC). The former 155-pound titleholder started strong, dominating his opponent in the opening frame with his wrestling-based style. He then dropped Garry with a head kick in the second before controlling his foe on the ground until the end of the stanza. Garry fared better in Round 3, when Makhachev appeared slightly fatigued and slowed his relentless takedown attempts. “The Future” was sharper with his strikes, putting together his best round of the contest.
Islam Makhachev beats Ian Garry by unanimous decision and sets the UFC record with his 17th straight win
The Dagestani fighter struggled in Round 4 as well, while Garry continued to score with his strikes. The fight looked fairly even entering the fifth and final frame before Makhachev scored a takedown and took his foe’s back. He then settled into the dominant position after locking in a tight body triangle, letting the fight go the distance. When the dust settled, Bruce Buffer announced that Makhachev had won the fight by scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47. The Dagestani is riding a 17-bout winning streak, setting the record for the longest in promotional history by surpassing former UFC 185-pound titleholder Anderson Silva.
Mackenzie Dern outgrapples Gillian Robertson to retain UFC strawweight title
In the co-feature, Mackenzie Dern (17-5, 12-5 UFC) retained the UFC women’s strawweight crown after outclassing “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 26 graduate Gillian Robertson (17-9, 14-7 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision. Dern dominated the fight by moving the action to the canvas as quickly as possible, with Robertson never finding a way to stop her opponent’s advances. On the mat, the American showcased her Brazilian jiu-jitsu skills by controlling her foe and threatening with several submission attempts. The RVCA representative came close to finishing Robertson with a rear-naked choke at the end of Round 1, but the Canadian survived. Robertson had a better fifth stanza but never seriously threatened to dethrone Dern as the fight went the distance. Ultimately, the judges scored it 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 in favor of Dern. With the victory, Dern secured the first title defense of her championship run, extended her winning streak to four and cemented herself as one of the best women’s pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Earlier on the card, Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Jalin Turner (16-9, 9-6 UFC) flattened Kaue Fernandes (11-3, 3-2 UFC), scoring his second straight Octagon win. Turner countered an ill-advised spinning backfist attempt by Fernandes with a left hook, immediately dropping his foe. Smelling blood, “The Tarantula” followed with a barrage of punches until referee Jason Herzog stepped in 39 seconds into the fight.
Pennsylvania’s own Dustin Stoltzfus (17-8, 4-7 UFC) submitted Mansur Abdul-Malik (9-2-1, 3-2-1 UFC) with only 35 seconds left in Round 2, snapping a two-bout skid in their 185-pound pairing. The Pennsylvanian was the underdog entering the fight, but he proved to be the better grappler. When the chance came to take Abdul-Malik’s back, Stoltzfus made the most of the favorable position and finished the fight with a rear-naked choke.
In the main-card opener, Argentine up-and-comer Esteban Ribovics (16-3, 5-3 UFC) forced longtime UFC 155-pounder Edson Barboza (24-15, 18-15 UFC) into retirement after stopping his opponent 92 seconds into the second frame. Barboza looked far from his former self and succumbed to a combination of punches after being pinned against the fence. After the fight, Barboza laid his gloves in the Octagon, wrapping up a 17-year career.
Elsewhere on the prelims, Chidi Njokuani (26-12, 1 NC; 6-5 UFC) returned to the win column after back-to-back defeats by outpointing Joel Alvarez (23-5, 8-4 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) at the end of an uneventful welterweight matchup; in his fourth assignment this year, Charles Johnson (20-9, 9-7 UFC) spoiled the promotional debut of short-notice replacement and former Legacy Fighting Alliance 125-pound titleholder Eduardo Henrique (15-3, 0-1 UFC) after submitting his foe with a rare Scottish twister at 1:36 of Round 3 in their 130-pound catchweight bout; in a 185-pound clash, Donte Johnson (9-0, 3-0 UFC) kept his record unblemished after knocking out Legacy Fighting Alliance alum Eric McConico (11-5-1, 2-3 UFC) with punches 98 seconds out of the gate; “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 29 finalist Tresean Gore (7-4, 4-4 UFC) upended “The Silent Assassin” Vicente Luque (24-13-1, 17-9 UFC) on all three scorecards in their middleweight affair (30-27, 30-27, 29-28); Lucas Fernando (14-3, 1-0 UFC) won the 205-pound prospect battle as he crushed fellow DWCS alum Rafael Tobias (14-3, 0-2 UFC) with a knee to the body followed by elbows 70 seconds into the third stanza; at welterweight, 39-year-old veteran Neil Magny (32-14, 25-13 UFC) bounced back by stopping submission specialist Ramiz Brahimaj (13-7, 5-5 UFC) with punches at 3:20 of the second frame; in the 170-pound opener, Philadelphia’s own Jeremiah Wells (14-4-1, 6-2 UFC) put Kyrgyz prospect Myktybek Orolbai (16-3-1, 5-2 UFC) to sleep with a slick ninja choke at 1:24 of Round 3.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
Help support MMACrazies.com when you shop Amazon by starting your online Amazon shopping at MMACrazies.com/recommends/amazon. You are not charged extra, but we receive a small and very helpful commission on everything you purchase. Thanks for thinking of us every time you shop at Amazon.
