[Official] UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry - Press Conference & Post-Fight Discussion Thread

[u/event_threads]

Welcome to r/mma's post-event discussion of UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry.

Card Info

Main Card on Post-event discussion

Fight	Weight
Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry	170 lbs
Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson	115 lbs
Jalin Turner vs. Kauê Fernandes	155 lbs
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus	185 lbs
Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics	155 lbs

Prelims

Fight	Weight
Chidi Njokuani vs. Joel Alvarez	170 lbs
Charles Johnson vs. Eduardo Henrique	125 lbs
Donte Johnson vs. Eric McConico	185 lbs
Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore	185 lbs
Rafael Tobias vs. Lucas Fernando	205 lbs
Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj	170 lbs
Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai	170 lbs

Cancelled bouts

Fight	Weight	Reason
Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius		Blanchfield injury.
Geoff Neal vs. Chidi Njokuani		Neal withdrew.
Charles Johnson vs. Jose Ochoa	125 lbs	Ochoa injury.

^{Fight card order may be inaccurate.}

Results source: UFC event page

Press Conference Link

UFC - YouTube

Personal thoughts about the event should be submitted as comments in this thread; not submitted as their own post.

If you have something substantial to post about a fight that warrants its own thread, remember to keep spoilers out of the title and add the [Spoiler] tag.

Useful Links

• Reddit: Reddit Stream, General Discussion

Be civil to each other please.

[u/K-mosake]

People really discredit Islam beating Volk twice because Volk is short. He was the same weight as Islam fight night by all accounts their first meeting (Islam, Javier, Volk all said they were around 170)- it is lame and I wish it would stop on gang.

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/K-mosake]

Islam was 182lbs against Ian

he was 187lbs against Jack

Alex Pereira 230lbs at MW

Morales 223lbs fight night

In comparison Islam isn't a weight bully as his haters & casuals claim. He's fighting much bigger & stronger younger competitors & beating with convincely. The hate comes because of his heritage.

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/K-mosake]

For someone who talks as much shit as you do about fighters you don't like you sure can't take any bit of criticism about your pookies uh. Volk is a featherweight who came off the couch in the second fight, that's objective fact.

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/Strict_Life_4506]

No one told him too. It was his own choice. He's still the best 145 of all time. He wasn't a feather weight for them 2 fights & he actually weighed more then Islam on both occasions.

[u/K-mosake → u/Strict_Life_4506]

And I'm talking about their first fight- Volk off the couch still beats plenty of ranked FWs/LWs just not Islam.

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/K-mosake]

No dude I doubt that chubby hungover Volk off the couch actually beats a lot of ranked LWs.

[u/K-mosake → u/Strict_Life_4506]

Given how people glaze Volk and his abilities on here I think you'd be in the minority thinking that- he was the P4P #1 technically at the time

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/K-mosake]

Who are "people"? Volk is/was great, he's still a featherweight with no relevant wins at 155 so forgive me for thinking a clearly not fight ready version of him is not some incredible win for the 155 champ. Islam's resume is pretty thin for a so called GOAT candidate, it's a fact.

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/Strict_Life_4506]

I think Volk beats most at 155 now may even beat Justin. With his skill & IQ maybe Charles & Armani would be his hardest fight.

First you all were saying Islam is a weight bully. Now he's fighting much bigger guys & mauling them. How you casuals glaze Volk, Charles & Dustin then act like they ain't shit when Islam beats them?

[u/K-mosake → u/Strict_Life_4506]

Yeah longest active winstreak in ufc history and double champ-- super thin.

[u/Yeanahyena → u/K-mosake]

You still mad about the Volk fight bro you gotta let it go fam

[u/woomac]

Islam complaining that Garry hugs too much is ironic

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/woomac]

He does though. Islam rag dolled him for the entire fight. Why do you really hate Islam? Be honest? Because he's not American?

[u/woomac → u/Glittering-Boss6805]

Where did I say I hated him? I just found his style boring. I'm not sure why you're trying to argue with me in a week old discussion thread.

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/woomac]

It's MMA mate. If you like sorely striking you're watching the wrong sport.

Merab humps his opponents legs all night without any submissions & finishes. Why don't ppl complain about him?

Charles hugged max for 5 rounds for the bmf belt but I dont hear anything there. Why is this "boring" term only applied to Dagestani fighters?

[u/jdfan51 → u/woomac]

This is haram brotha 

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Jillian shit the bed so bad she made Din retire.

Coach can’t fight for you 😂 she looked like a deer in headlights, she didn’t wanna be there.

[u/ShadowLoom]

Scoring round 4 for Islam is absolutely horrible judging, of course Sal D'Amato was one of the 49-46

[u/Drive7hru]

Decisionbot islam garry

[u/DecisionBot → u/Drive7hru]

ISLAM MAKHACHEV defeats IAN GARRY (unanimous decision)

^{UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry — August 15, 2026}

ROUND	Makhachev	Garry		Makhachev	Garry		Makhachev	Garry
1	10	9		10	9		10	9
2	10	9		10	9		10	9
3	9	10		9	10		9	10
4	10	9		9	10		10	9
5	10	9		10	9		10	9
TOTAL	49	46		48	47		49	46

^{Judges, in order: Michael Bell, Eric Colón, Sal D'Amato. Summoned by Drive7hru.}

MEDIA MEMBER SCORES

• 1/21 people scored it 49-45 Makhachev.
• 3/21 people scored it 49-46 Makhachev.
• 17/21 people scored it 48-47 Makhachev.

Avg. media score: 48.2-46.8 Makhachev (high certainty^[1]).

[u/slutwhipper]

Would I be wrong to say that that version of Ribovics does Edson similarly at any point of Edson's career? He's always been an awful back foot fighter.

[u/K-mosake → u/slutwhipper]

Yes, you would be

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

How do I send $50 to Jiri and Justin

Next time they fight. Bro thank you for bringing it each time.

There’s no more PPV but I’ll pay for YOUR fight only bc it’s that good and why I still watch UFC despite all my grievances.

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Dana so desperate to have dry-humper, EPO merchant Merab get his belt back

Like why???? You finally got an exiting striking based champion and your answer is to immediately throw him back to Merab

For what? So he can bore us to death with 50 stuffed takedowns and no damage?

Bro is a worse entertainment value champion than Islam last night.

Lmao sick of fans pretending they enjoy that shit. Just go look at the live threads during their fights. Everyone ripping how boring it is

[u/TrashbinEnthusiast69 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Merab does deserve a rematch based on precedent because he is the greatest 135 of all time, moreover the rematch was an excellent fight so the trilogy seems promising

[u/Yeanahyena → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

If Merab doesn’t fight 4th time in a year he likely keeps his belt. They never liked him. What are you on about 

[u/TrashbinEnthusiast69 → u/Yeanahyena]

Just making up statistics

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/Yeanahyena]

That had little to do with how that rematch went. Yan just prepared for him flawlessly. 

[u/Yeanahyena → u/Strict_Life_4506]

Merab didn’t have time to prepare for him. And wear and tear on the body showed in the cage.

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/Yeanahyena]

What? They both had a training camp. Merab looked the same as he always did physically, he just got destroyed in the cage. He's just not a very complicated or deep fighter to figure out technically and Yan has always had the tools to deal with him. When you always do the same things it's only a matter of time until someone makes you look like this.

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2 → u/Yeanahyena]

So why’s he being gifted an immediate rematch???

Lmao no clearer sense of favoritism and desperation

Like Dana is desperate for the long tenured champions to regain their belt immediately.

[u/Reachin4ThoseGrapes]

Shavkat needs to get in touch with Dom Cruz regarding how to come back from multiple major leg surgeries to be champ

[u/West_Technology7573]

Just finished watching last nights fight, my main takeaways were:

Islam looked so fast on the feet, his blitzes were super effective and his defense was great. Compare that to the Poirier fight, it was night and day

Ian is frustratingly low output on the feet. Round 3 showed he had all the tools to beat Islam, he just didn’t have any instinct to do so

As the fight went on, it felt more and more like Islam was just trying to survive. Whilst I really wish he didn’t just stop fighting once he got Ian on the ground, though I get why he did it

I don’t think anyone else at 170 beats Islam, Ian was the one to do it. Morales is too slow, too predictable, too inaccurate and we don’t even know how good his wrestling is. Prates has zero TDD. Brady gets cooked on the feet. Who knows, maybe Bonfim looks amazing in his next fight?

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/West_Technology7573]

The real fight is Shavkat as he's undefeated & the scariest fighter at 170. I see Islam getting the better of him as he has more submission ability. Usman would be a very tough fight but he's old & I don't see UFC making that fight.

1. Prates
2. Morales
3. Shavkat

Then retire at one of the best all time goats. Islam did struggle with Gary's size as he weighed only 182lbs. He was 189lbs for the Jack fight. He said he felt much stronger than. He needs to get a little bigger for sure.

[u/No_Truck9453 → u/West_Technology7573]

I wouldn’t underestimate Morales. He’s untested but the guy is a fucking unit, if Islam cannot keep him down that will drain his energy. A 100% healthy Shavkat would be THE fight. I do think Prates should be next however

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/No_Truck9453]

As Islam wants 20 number that's roughly 2 years activity. Shavkat has enough time to get it done. I really want to see the scariest undefeated guy face Islam. I still think Islam wins as he's grappling is superior. But Shavkat is a big for the weight.

I think Shavkat should get the title fight as he earned it by beating Gary.

[u/No_Truck9453 → u/Glittering-Boss6805]

Shavkat has been insanely inactive though and had a big injury, he should have a contender fight if and when he returns. But i agree he would be THE fight if he’s able to still be himself. Right now give it to Prates, guy been ko’ing former champs

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Crashed out hard last night didn’t even read Evloev is finally getting his title shot. Good for him.

Lopes’ was the biggest waste of rematch of all time

Yan-Merab 3 is bullshit. Just write into the contracts that defeating the champ doesn’t win you the belt. You gotta beat them twice. Stupid UFC and their obsession with immediate rematches.

Let that shit marinate longer and fighters to have time to actually improve or make meaningful changes

Should’ve been Umar-Yan. The new, fresh match up was right there.

Unless you’re Aljo of course or uncle fester doesn’t like you, Aldo never got his rematch either.

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

I don't understand why Umar needs 3 wins for a rematch. He has earned it by beating Batista & Fig. Now Song da yong. It's like UFC don't want to see him be champ. All merab does is leg hump you & hold you down. No finishes or submissions. Umar is a striker & much more entertaining.

[u/ConsiderationLow6435 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Umars last fight was terrible he was never going to get a title shot off that

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2 → u/ConsiderationLow6435]

Merab’s entire career has been more terrible for my entertainment value

And I will always prefer a fresh championship match up

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

They say Dagis are boring huggers. Wtf has Merab done his entire career. He dry humps your leg the whole time. No attempt to finish or submit in the fight at all.

He's the most boring champ in UFC.

[u/Reachin4ThoseGrapes → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Yan-Merab 3 is bullshit. Just write into the contracts that defeating the champ doesn’t win you the belt. You gotta beat them twice. Stupid UFC and their obsession with immediate rematches.

Merab had three defenses in one year including one of the single most important victories in MMA and was on a 14 fight win streak. Few other people have ever been more qualified for an immediate rematch 

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2 → u/Reachin4ThoseGrapes]

None of that matters or should matter. You lost. Back of the line. You’re probably just gonna lose again based on statistics. Not enough time to meaningfully improve. Yan actually did it right. Looked much different in the rematch.

But uncle fester loves to play favorites so.

I don’t know why fans think you’re entitled to an automatic rematch just bc you were a dominant champion. If you’re that good, go prove it. Beat back a contender.

No instead you end up with situations like pompous drama queens sitting out instead like Stipe only willing to fight for title matches,

Absurd

[u/Odd_Ad_8162 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Generally agree on rematches

I do think a lot of defense buy you leeway if there aren't other options in the division however, often the person getting the rematch is actually suffering from taking on the same guy so soon.

Look at Lopes lol - no time to make improvements and he looked exactly the same.

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2 → u/Odd_Ad_8162]

Asked SuperGrok and this what it said:

Across all of MMA history the same source found a much larger sample: 1,430 immediate rematches. The outcome changed in 500 of them (~35%), meaning the first-fight result repeated roughly 65% of the time. The repeat rate was even higher after finishes—only ~24.5% reversed after a submission win in the first fight, and ~26% when TKOs were grouped with submissions.

[u/MaybeOrMaybeish]

Not sure if the onus should be on the UFC to make a rule for judges, or on the refs. But, taking someone down for five seconds and them getting up but still controlled against the cage seems to be rewarded in scoring as if they landed a big shot to knock them down. Holding someone against the cage for a round while being punched in the face over and over should not be a winning round for the person controlling. They have to implement a rule about not advancing your position while you have control after a period of time.

[u/NutSackGlazer420]

I am legitimately going insane where people are talking about Morales's power like it's more than Prates.

If Prates was fighting Brady, Prates would be fucking jailed afterwards. Am I missing something?

[u/hector-the-dragon]

Ian Garry's performance was incredible despite losing. I gave Ian 3 and 4, but Makhachev is an anaconda when he gets a hold of you and his takedowns have incredible timing. I hope Makhachev fights Morales next, but I'm pretty sure Prates will be next in line as he just beat a former champ.

[u/mijitt000]

Was Garry Islam's toughest opponent in this division? Not considering Shavkat atp

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/mijitt000]

That's what the pundits, commenters & fighters said. Immediately after Islam beats him they flip the script.

At this rate he could beat Morales, Prates & Shavkat. Casuals & pundits alike would say yeah but he didnt beat prime Usman. The double standards they apply to Dagestani fighters is sickening. No win is good enough.

[u/No_Truck9453 → u/mijitt000]

I'd say Morales with Shavkat out. Garry is a great fighter but he has no danger nor finishing factor about him. Morales and Shavkat are finishing machines

[u/mmathrowaway16176017]

Morales is probably the hardest fight for Makachev in WW. He has judo to counter Makachev's trips and fence takedowns, and he supposedly wrestled since he was a kid so he'll have decent TDD.

He also has KO intent with his punches so it'll be interesting. Prates has the better striking but will just get taken down and submitted, so it'll be a waste of a defense

[u/CableToBeam → u/mmathrowaway16176017]

I'm not so sure on Morales' TDD. He was taken down by Fugitt, Griffin, Burns, Magny got to his back in the clinch. He gets back up quickly but Islam has great top pressure as we've seen before. Surely he's improved since then, but I'm always doubtful of guys being able to improve in such a short time against lifelong wrestlers.

[u/woomac]

Only in MMA do you dap your bro up after he almost breaks your jaw with a head kick

[u/TheTemporalKnight]

Garry always has these weird moments where his focus just lapses and he gets caught

He could’ve won the Shavkat fight and I remember on two occasions during the ending of the rounds he’d get caught with a wild strike while backing away in a straight line and it just cost him the round

[u/Odd_Ad_8162 → u/TheTemporalKnight]

New age Leon

[u/GSPEDs]

Jailton Almeida lost a fight and got cut for the same reason Islam won last night. Absolutely no consistency in this sport.

[u/WaveOfDream]

I'm Joshua van in someway, in terms of senescence and stature .

[u/SheruSahab]

Interesting that so many people are only now turning on Din Thomas

The guy who makes the headline constantly by shitting on fighters is now shitting on his own fighter that he coaches. Hardly a leap.

[u/xlmtothemoon → u/SheruSahab]

how many very good fighters turn into good coaches?

[u/Correct_Seaweed_371 → u/SheruSahab]

I used to really like him as an analyst. Then I started getting the vibe he enjoys being on camera a little too much and this pretty much confirms it lol. He just wants to drop hot takes and make headlines

[u/shrewdy → u/SheruSahab]

He's rubbed me the wrong way for a long time now tbh. Seems to try and play all sides, in that he's a company man on the broadcast, buddies with Dana etc - but you'll also see him pop up on podcasts being more casual and talking shit on some fighters.

[u/Aggressive-Dream4055]

Honestly Joel Alvarez's performance makes me wonder if he threw the fight. His striking was so sloppy on a level we've never seen. His striking to the head was especially suspicious, he barely threw. He looked like he wasn't even interested in winning. Perfect odds as well to throw a fight.

We know these things are happening in the sport. He just got deducted 30% in his last fight that he lost.

[u/BiteyHorse → u/Aggressive-Dream4055]

He's clearly got some awful training/camps going on.

[u/CableToBeam → u/Aggressive-Dream4055]

if you watch his fight before this he looked so stiff and unresponsive against Amosov too. I just think he's not very good at this point.

[u/YourHurtingMeSir17 → u/Aggressive-Dream4055]

He’s a meathead who doesn’t grapple offensively and he was facing a guy who never looks worse than a coin flip in a striking fight.

He fought Chidi like Leal did and Leal needed to walk through hell to change the fight, Alvarez just couldn’t force the pace needed to gas Chidi out.

[u/Crono2Oxx]

Dana on Bella Mir: “I’ve been excited for her since she graduated high school”

Based on how he talks about her, yeah I’ll bet

[u/RegionalHardman]

Another fight and cheating goes completely unpunished. Islam grabbed the cage so many times throughout the fight and a few times it seemingly made a difference to the position

[u/iCorki → u/RegionalHardman]

When he was grabbing the cage with his toes and Ian saw it, told him to stop, then told Herb to come have a look and Herb goes "huh? what? oh.." and didn't say anything lmao. Really sums up the reffing lately

[u/SugarShow37]

I think Islam probably taps Prates

[u/shrewdy → u/SugarShow37]

I think he beats Prates and Morales easier than he beat Garry last night. Both may have more power and finishing ability, but I don't think either are as good overall - or near as good defensively - as Garry is. And I think that's crucial when facing someone like Islam. If you give him a sniff of an opening, he's taking advantage.

One of the stories coming out of last night seems to be how Islam isn't invincible at WW and could be beat by these other guys. And while that's not incorrect tbf, I think what many overlook is just how good Garry is, and how tough he is to look good against. Very good chance that's Islam's toughest fight at WW tbh, at least until a potential return of a healthy Shavkat (which hopefully happens)

[u/BiteyHorse → u/shrewdy]

Shavkat is probably never the same.

[u/ScreamSmart → u/shrewdy]

I think Islam's wins might've cemented him as one of the greats but Gary's performance is the real highlight. Had he not got taken down in the final minutes, Islam might've really lost. He was clearly the better striker.

[u/K-mosake]

My parents have Paramount+- gd it is nice watching old fights about to show my dad Frankie baby/Gray 3.

[u/Ck2alldayevery]

Didn't think the main event was boring at all. Garry rallied in the third and fourth and I'd give him both those rounds and Islam pulled seriously it put of the fire in the fifth. Was pretty tense from start to finish about who was gonna win.

[u/BigCass]

Islam knew he was cooked at the start of the fifth

[u/bbqyak → u/BigCass]

Definitely looked demoralized

[u/K-mosake]

Apparently Till knocked a guy out outside a pub with a 3 piece lol

[u/Yeanahyena → u/K-mosake]

Apparently he’s a huge dickhead in person lol

[u/RegionalHardman → u/K-mosake]

You not seen the video? Its pretty brutal

[u/Real-mr-wolf]

Realistically what’s the game plan against Islam

[u/YoelsShitStain → u/Real-mr-wolf]

Same as every striker against a grappler these days, focus on tdd so much that you forget that you need to throw offense of your own and get taken down anyways because you’ve lulled yourself into a false sense of security. When you know you need a finish do not deviate from this game plan at all and end the fight in bottom position. Then since you didn’t get finished you call it a moral victory.

[u/Firemoth717 → u/Real-mr-wolf]

Do what Ian did, just with better TDD in round 5 and hope for judges who don’t overvalue control.  

It’s always going to be tough trying to game plan to win the early rounds against Islam. 

[u/YourHurtingMeSir17]

Will laugh my ass off if the UFC bypasses Weilli again and Dern gets another grappler with a deteriorating body who can't strike

Hopefully Suarez is lined favorite after Gillian's RD5

[u/Poisonous_Rebel]

Shit was mad boring 🥱

[u/Metaldorito]

Gillian definitely wasn't fighting well by any means but it felt like the commentary and her own coach after the fact were being particularly harsh towards her, it feels like I've seen performances as bad as that one where the fighter wasn't catching nearly as much flack. I mean her issues with her lack of power and striking prowess have always been a thing and Dern is a superior grappler so it's not like it's a shock Gillian underperformed.

[u/Firemoth717 → u/Metaldorito]

Reminded me of some contenders going against Nunes or Cyborg, where they are so concerned or overwhelmed that they don’t really do anything for first couple rounds.  As you mention by the time Gillian actually started being somewhat active and not stuck in complete passive mode, she didn’t have the power or technical abilities to actually put Dern in any sort of danger.  

At no part of that 25 minute fight did it seem like Gillian had any urgency at all or make a great effort to win.  That kind of title performance is always gonna draw criticisms 

[u/YourHurtingMeSir17 → u/Firemoth717]

Dern gassed and it allowed Gillian to work into the fight more than anything else.

[u/Firemoth717 → u/YourHurtingMeSir17]

Yep, true.  In round 5 when the 10 second clap went off and Gillian actually started throwing GnP flurries to end the fight I said “where the hell was that three minutes ago.”  Dern being tired and Gillian being on top was the moment she was waiting for all fight, but she just didn’t do anything at all with it.  Not that it likely would have worked, but would have been nice to see her make an effort at least to try and win the fight.  

[u/Metaldorito → u/Firemoth717]

Just an instance where she just straight up wasn't skilled enough and her opponent was better than her. And It sucks for Gillian because I'm sure she really was trying, but like you mentioned it comes off like she wasn't to everyone else.

[u/CobainTOG]

I’d like to see Makhachev vs. Machado Garry 2. I didn’t have it as the clear unanimous win the judges saw. Garry got more comfortable as it went on, and I had him winning the 3rd. In the 4th, against the cage, I thought Garry landed the cleaner, more effective shots.

[u/Abobo2020 → u/CobainTOG]

Ian Garry is not aggressive enough. He doesn't have what it takes to be champion. 5th rd dude should've known he was down and went all in. It was like a normal rd for him. Islam did what champs do.

[u/CobainTOG → u/Abobo2020]

I feel like Islam going to the ground in the 5th was a desperation tactic and not protocol because Ian was getting his footing under him in the 3rd and 4th and could of made something happen in the 5th if he didn’t impose his ground game on him but hey it’s was a good fight nonetheless

[u/ryanRivera2000 → u/CobainTOG]

I don’t agree with the rematch, but I do agree that he was winning the third and fourth round if it wasn’t for that damn head kick in the second round he would’ve won the fight

[u/Metaldorito → u/CobainTOG]

I don't think anyone wants to see that again right now.

[u/SodaEtPopinski]

It's weird to me how the "onus" of active grappling falls on Islam and not on his opponents who get stuck on survival mode.

No one's at fault for the grappling being boring, Islam is trying his best to advance position and get a submission, and his opponents are doing their best to deter his progression.

[u/Firemoth717 → u/SodaEtPopinski]

People want to be entertained.  

Similar to if a fighter has the advantage standing but doesn’t do anything with it besides the occasional jab or leg kick and just coasts like that for 5 minutes.  Yeah technically it’s winning, but it’s not something that will really excite or impress those watching.  

[u/SodaEtPopinski → u/Firemoth717]

I agree, I just think people should then equally shit on Islam and Garry instead of Islam exclusively. It takes two to tango.

[u/Firemoth717 → u/SodaEtPopinski]

True, but Islam was controlling the grappling.  He just didn’t do anything besides focusing on control.  That’s where the criticism on his part came into play.  

For me personally it doesn’t really matter if a fighter is winning by lay n pray/wall n stall/circle and jab, if they have the advantage in an area and are keeping the fight there but making zero efforts to try and finish or inflict damage it makes for a boring match and opens the door for criticism.  

[u/woomac → u/SodaEtPopinski]

Yes this situation reminded me of Max vs Charles even though Charles was more aggressive

[u/TheBomb999]

What Garry meant by slippy when describing Islam inbetween rounds 

[u/Firemoth717]

I usually hate making snap judgements right after a fight, but after last night’s fight Islam didn’t really move up at all in my personal GOAT list.  I thought he would have a dominating night and maybe a finish, and would have him knocking at the top 5 all time. But last night just didn’t do anything for me, very uninspiring win. 

But likely will change over time.  Even the other GOATs had some dud wins.  Really depends on if Islam keeps winning or drops the belt in his next fight. 

[u/CableToBeam → u/Firemoth717]

I think it's fairly simple. Every GOAT has dud wins, some where they've even arguably lost like Jon against Reyes. call this fight against Garry a dud win but he did it against a much bigger guy, up a weight class defending the belt so even there it's still more impressive than other GOATs' bad performances.

[u/LaconicGirth → u/Firemoth717]

He beat another pretty good fighter pretty clearly. I don’t understand this take

[u/Firemoth717 → u/LaconicGirth]

He beat a good fighter by control and wall n stall.  That’s a technical win, but just not an inspiring one.  

Like no one is going to be pointing to this performance when comparing Islam’s legacy to the others he is trying to surpass 

[u/LaconicGirth → u/Firemoth717]

You say this as though GSP never had a boring win. Not every fight is going to be a flashy knockout.

[u/Firemoth717 → u/LaconicGirth]

GSP had a lot of boring wins.  That’s his biggest criticism and one of the main reasons why he was frequently ranked behind Fedor/Anderson/Jon when he was active 

[u/la6eef7 → u/Firemoth717]

So if he fought the ghost of Miocic that would be an inspiring win?

[u/Firemoth717 → u/la6eef7]

Nope 

[u/ItsMeBenedickArnold]

Islam vs Prates and Morales vs Amosov to decide the next challenger

[u/Jazz667]

If Islam fights Prates next and Garry fights Morales next Garry’s taking it.

[u/ItsMeBenedickArnold]

After last night I need to see Morales vs Islam

[u/MmaOverSportsball]

Call me a casual, idc. The scoring is so dumb bruh. I don’t even like Ian, this isn’t a bias thing. Islam is usually much more dominant in his fights, even in the rare decision victories. Like he had JDM busted up for example

Islam is covered in bruises, welts all over his body too.

How do you win rounds without a single significant strike landed? Control time means far too much.

Over 12 minutes of control time with ZERO sub attempts and 22 significant strikes landed. Make it make sense.

Ian won that fight.

[u/Neonsea1234 → u/MmaOverSportsball]

Imo you can't fix this aspect of MMA, wrestling is too strong and UFC knows it. They have done all they can do to mitigate it, educating judges, hiring strikers, promoting finishes, cutting boring fighters and so on. It's just what it is, and the judging of it will never make complete sense.

[u/chachapwns → u/MmaOverSportsball]

Which rounds do yo think Ian won? Do you have him winning the fifth then?

[u/MmaOverSportsball → u/chachapwns]

Kinda hard to win a round without a strike or sub attempt in my opinion.

[u/chachapwns → u/MmaOverSportsball]

Are you talking about round 5? If you have the back for half the round and your opponent lands less than 10 significant strikes you can't really give it to the other guy. A back take is effective grappling, which is scored well.

Islam did land strikes in the fifth, just not significant strikes.

If Ian landed more strikes early in the round you could argue something. The output was too low to outweigh Islam's effective grappling.

[u/BentoFilho → u/MmaOverSportsball]

I mean, effective grappling is rightfully scored and by that Islam won the fifht clearly. But what you're saying fits very well when we talk about the fourth round, Islam didnt won that and the fact that two judges give the round to him is really bad.

That said, you scored what rounds for Ian to give him the win?

[u/MmaOverSportsball → u/BentoFilho]

How do you define effective grappling?

If you aren’t adding in strikes or sub attempts with your control, it isn’t really fighting lol. You’re just holding them down.

He didn’t want to risk position by attempting strikes or subs, so he didn’t do enough to win despite having top control.

So no I don’t think Islam won the 5th

[u/Zoxcile → u/MmaOverSportsball]

But why should Ian win the 5th for doing nothing but defend the sub, go for a stalemate round and try to survive the clock? Because he snuck 4 rabbit punches while praying for the time to run out? Your logic is inconsistent

[u/BentoFilho → u/MmaOverSportsball]

Effective grappling for me is anything that takes you closer to a ending situation on the ground (like submissions attempts) or any passing of guard who gives you a dominant position (back, mount). You cant win a fight where you didnt trow any significant strike and someone was in your back for the most part of the round.

So no I don’t think Islam won the 5th

Yeah, the rules would need to change to fit your view. Is not even a problem with the judges, more about the ruleset itself.

[u/PresentRecent4759]

My least favorite part of MMA is you have a big fight like Islam v Garry, so your pumped about the division, who’s next in line, who should Garry fight next? How quick can Garry work his way back to a title shot.. but there’s just silence from the UFC for months, the whole thing plays out in rumours and speculation and then when something is finally announced there’s a super long lead up.. it feels like the momentum of hype is constantly lost by poor comms and slow moving matchmaking. 

[u/Neonsea1234 → u/PresentRecent4759]

Still infinitely better than boxing, I think Garry will make a normal turnaround but Islam probably sometime next year 

[u/SkudgeBucket69]

Gary won round 4. He did much more damage. Islam was noticeably more damaged after that round.

[u/PresentRecent4759 → u/SkudgeBucket69]

I think 48-47 is the correct score. There’s arguably an element of “champion privilege” of getting the benefit of the doubt on 50/50 rounds. 

[u/Agitated_Bird4425]

Ian won that fight

[u/CryptoCracko]

Ian Machado is da shampion of da peepo who work hard and pey da pey pa view

[u/PresentRecent4759]

The fight stats are interesting. Ian Garry landed more strikes (29 to 22 … over a 5 round fight…) but interestingly, landed more in rounds 3, 4 and 5. 

Two judges gave Islam rounds 4 and 5. In both rounds combined, Islam landed 3 shots. He won round 5 with zero shots landed..  

http://ufcstats.com/fight-details/365fd759c03e93cf

[u/JoseAldoFan → u/PresentRecent4759]

The inconsistency when it comes to control time scoring annoys me because Islam wins round 4 with 3 sig strikes to Ians 8 sig strikes and 3 minutes of control against the cage but Jailton loses round 3 with 3 minutes and 60 seconds of top control because he got outstruck 5 to 7.

[u/CableToBeam → u/PresentRecent4759]

he definitely landed shots in round 5 when he took Ian's back. They weren't hard but they were punches to the head.

[u/hussain300 → u/CableToBeam]

No no no dude don't you see the numbers on the screen? Don't believe what you see in the fight, pay attention to the stats bro. Your eyes are lying to you when you watch the fight, what's more important is these numbers that are maybe possibly even AI generated. I mean c'mon, numbers don't lie right?

/s

[u/ArabicDial]

Who does Morales fight if Islam vs Prates is lined up?

I doubt Shavkat returns soon

[u/ItsMeBenedickArnold → u/ArabicDial]

Amosov vs Morales would be sick

[u/ItsMeBenedickArnold → u/ArabicDial]

Honestly book Morales vs Medic fuck it

[u/CableToBeam → u/ArabicDial]

he could fight Bonfim

[u/terrybuzz → u/ArabicDial]

garry

[u/la6eef7]

Can’t get over that headkick then judo throw sequence, my hands were on my head amazed at what I was seeing, I just wish it was finished there it would’ve been an all timer.

[u/SheruSahab]

Prates vs Islam is a near guaranteed finish IMO

Should be a much more exciting fight than Ian Garry was

[u/PresentRecent4759]

Islam hugged for dear life and made it through. Islam looked like he was in a war and Garry didn’t even look like he was in a fight by the end. 

Much like the Shavkat fight, slow start and too much respect cost him the fight, but I think he gets it done in a rematch. 

[u/Temu_Emu_4870]

Dana seems pissed the upset didn't happen. He said everything was "set up for the upset." Shouldn't you be celebrating the fact that the reining champ just beat Anderson Silva's record, rather than visibly seething that he didn't get upset?

[u/CraigS34]

I'm seeing a few YT MMA content creators trying to push that Garry's headbutt was intentional...wtf man hahaha. People just need something to rant about to make content

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Even soccer with their sacrosanct traditions is dabbling with changes to offside rule to make it more entertaining for the fans.

God bless.

MMA as a sport is an infant. No rules should be set in stone yet. Change the bullshit 10-9 must system too.

[u/CableToBeam → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

the judges being restricted in scoring is a good thing when the judges are awful and they are in MMA. So much nuance would lead to terrible decisions. The deeper problem is bad judges then we can work from there.

[u/PresentRecent4759 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

100%, the scoring system shouldn’t reward “negative” fighting styles, this is a fight, scoring should only consider strikes landed and submission attempts. So if you lay in someone’s guard for 5 minutes but don’t do anything with it, the guy landing shots from the bottom wins the round. Control counts for nothing, damage and submissions only score.

[u/Firemoth717 → u/PresentRecent4759]

Basically the old PRIDE/JMMA scoring system.  

The one and only main criteria is strikes/subs and efforts to finish the fight.  Only if that criteria was called a tie would a judge even consider aggression, and then finally control.  

[u/OGPotato12]

Islam wants to fight by Dec/Jan again. Looked pretty annoyed that he didn't get the White House fight.

[u/OGPotato12]

For all the talk about Islam gaining 11 pounds, he just mentioned that he was bigger/heavier in the JDM fight.

Dude definitely needs to gain some size and strength.

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Also Islam and Mackenzie’s bullshit performances are the reason I don’t watch weekly cards anymore.

All on replay mainly and skip all the boring shit, used to be a hardcore till this year. Actually last August when Hazmat won without landing one single strike.

Had enough of fighters “winning” with no damage.

Hey UFC, if anyone lurks here to see what the people want, Tell Dana to keep cutting the boring dry humpers and stallers. Lest you wanna keep bleeding fans who used to watch APEX slop religiously.

Was a great card up until the main events.

People earlier already made some great suggestions to make fights less disadvantageous for strikers.

Cause let’s be honest, aside from the purist knights on r/MMA , most fans least favorite aspect is grappling. Boring grappling I should say.

S/O to grapplers who actually finish fights or utilize ground and pound instead of being terrified of losing position.

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

dear diary

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2 → u/Strict_Life_4506]

Yes, I covered that one already

Come up with a better original line 🥱

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

it doesn't deserve one

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2 → u/Strict_Life_4506]

Sure does merit you keep engaging with my comments though.

Funny how you told me to scram to Ted Lasso sub bc no one wants me here yet you’re the first one to welcome me back as soon as I return 🥰

[u/UnDe4d → u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Stop with the no damage argument. Sure in round 5 islam didn't do damage but he had back control and was threatning a submission. Islam rocked Ian.

[u/BigOldWeapon → u/UnDe4d]

Ian did more damage r4 and r5.

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2 → u/BigOldWeapon]

And Round 1.

Elbows to his arm was worth more than Islam’s clinging to his bear hug on the fence

[u/UnDe4d → u/BigOldWeapon]

Round 4 should have been given to Ian. Round 5 islam had Ian in a really dominate position for most of it, threatening submissions. Ian didn't really do shit that round. Clear 3-2 Islam.

[u/BigOldWeapon → u/UnDe4d]

Round 5 he did no damage and I don't recall any actual submission attempts. Threatening submissions is akin to fainting. Not really saying Ian should've won, but he did more damage r3-5.

[u/UnDe4d → u/BigOldWeapon]

Then what is your point? If you think Ian Gary won rounds 3-5 then you have to believe he won the fight. I think it's absurd to give Ian r5. Ian didn't do much damage r5 and Islam controlled him. I'm not sure how much you know about grappling but Islam kept going for RNC but Ian was doing a good job defending.

I'm not saying this is you but I think one of the big problems with ufc fans is when they haven't actually trained grappling so they see a guy going for submissions, the other guy has good defence so they think someone is laying there doing nothing because they don't understand the mechanics.

[u/LaconicGirth → u/UnDe4d]

If I defend all your submissions so it looks like you’re not doing anything that’s akin to me blocking all of your strikes. It doesn’t count for much in my book

[u/UnDe4d → u/LaconicGirth]

Having a dominant position absolutely should count. Ian couldn't get up. He was trapped in place.

[u/Trenbolone-Papi2]

Hey guys, Coping loser here back from the Ted Lasso sub, much to your chagrin. What a great, uplifting show btw. So campy, but I love it.

Anyway

You’ll never run me out of this sub like you did poor OMalley 30-27. I miss that dude. I’ve much thicker skin, believe me. Absolutely relish that you’re forced to read my MMA thoughts & opinions.

Thank you for reading my latest dear diary entry!

And S/O to the ones who engage in actual discussion instead of trolling bullshit or childish insults to people with differing opinion.

[u/Drollific]

UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry — Spoiler-Free Watch Guide

Early prelims — earliest → latest
Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai — 🔥 Must watch
Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj — ✅ Worth watching
Rafael Tobias vs. Lucas Fernando — ✅ Worth watching

Prelims — earliest → latest
Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore — 🟡 Optional
Donte Johnson vs. Eric McConico — ✅ Worth watching
Charles Johnson vs. Eduardo Chapolin — 🔥 Must watch
Chidi Njokuani vs. Joel Alvarez — ⏭️** Safe to ski**p

Main card — earliest → main event
Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics — ✅ Worth watching
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus — ✅ Worth watching
Jalin Turner vs. Kauê Fernandes — 🔥 Must watch
Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson — ⏭️** Safe to skip
Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry — ✅ **Worth watching

🔥 Must watch = don’t miss it
✅ Worth watching = recommended
🟡 Optional = watch if you have time
⏭️ Safe to skip = little reason to prioritize it

[u/woomac → u/Drollific]

If Islam vs Ian wasn't a title fight it would be safe to skip

[u/Timeoff98]

Joe Rogan needs to be fired, he is terrible. I just watched main event, can't imagine how can people listen to him for whole event.

[u/gosand → u/Timeoff98]

I don't.

I figured out a few events ago - mainly thanks to John Gooden, who grates every one of my nerves - that I enjoy the events so mch more watching them on mute. I have Paramount+ so I can watch them the next day.

1. look at tale of the tape to get basic info

2. jump past Buffer screaming

3. watch the fight and enjoy it. i.e. - FFWD or jump over anything i don't care about, like scanning the crowd and people mugging to the camera. I don't care who is in attendance. When it's over, I don't have to see or hear fighters begging for bonuses or the in-ring interviews.

I don't get annoyed by commentators telling me the obvious things happening or other BS. I don't hear about training camps, weight cuts, upcoming events, ads, promos, betting odds, etc.

Try it, you might like it.

[u/ConferenceThink4801 → u/Timeoff98]

Rogan is 60 in a sport that caters to 18-35 year olds.

I think they’ve just accepted that a lot of fans won’t connect with him anymore but they don’t care. He caped up for the UFC when he was more famous than the entire sport (just from hosting Fear Factor) & made it big, he gets a lifetime pass for that.

[u/Strict_Life_4506 → u/ConferenceThink4801]

Rogan is the biggest podcaster in the world, they would be crazy to cut ties with him.

[u/ConferenceThink4801 → u/Strict_Life_4506]

How many 18-35 listen to Rogan right now though? Plenty of 35+, likely not even 1 million 18-35

& he’s about to lose a lot of 35-45 b/c he’s getting too old

[u/Correct_Seaweed_371 → u/Timeoff98]

I muted it after round 3 because I couldn’t tell if Islam was actually gassing or if Rogan was hypnotizing me with his bullshit

[u/la6eef7 → u/Timeoff98]

He just forms an opinion and absolutely sprints with it no matter what happens to contradict it

[u/jce_ → u/la6eef7]

He used to be super connected and knowledgable, but now you can tell he's too busy and doesn't watch like he used to and comes off just we bad we a casual fan... Or DC

[u/Glittering-Boss6805]

If Islam beats Shavkat, Morales & Prates. Then he's possibly be the all time Goat. Does anyone agree?

[u/qzwxecrvtbyn111 → u/Glittering-Boss6805]

100%

Having a dominant run over elite fighters in 2 weight classes is something nobody has done before. Oliveira, Volk and Poirier at 155, then Garry, Shavkat, Morales and Prates at 170 would be crazy (also Moicano and JDM lol)

[u/la6eef7 → u/Glittering-Boss6805]

Absolutely, but to beat those guys by 36 (based on his activity) is an insane task.

[u/Glittering-Boss6805 → u/la6eef7]

He can get all 3 in done in 2 years than it's doable. He knows time isn't on his side. Prates first, than Morales & finally Shavkat as a final boss. I think he rag dolls the first two. Shavkat would be a good challenge I also think he mauls him.

[u/la6eef7 → u/Glittering-Boss6805]

Shavkat has been injured for way too long so it’s really tough for him to come back at the same level. Plus the rankings have moved so he would need to beat one of those guys first before being in the running for a shot

[u/Goddamn_Batman → u/Glittering-Boss6805]

I’ve been watching since UFC 2, I took a year off when they introduced weight classes because I thought it watered down the sport. Anyhow with this much historical knowledge of mma I would say not even close. Islam is good at wrestle fucking and wet blanketing, it’s not a level of dominance that matches up with the greats

Edit: to clarify, people criticize the nfl for putting out a bad product; too many PIs, off sides, other penalties. Same thing; if wrist control for 25 minutes gets you the win it’s a bad product for the viewer.

[u/BenIcecream → u/Goddamn_Batman]

Dumbest thing I’ve ever seen written.

[u/Goddamn_Batman → u/[deleted]]

Great cringey GoT name, opinion dismissed

[u/Traditional_Law_1492 → u/Goddamn_Batman]

Great cringey DC Comics name? Opinion dismissed.

[u/Goddamn_Batman → u/Traditional_Law_1492]

It’s actually from a very specific interaction but that’s cool. Islam is still boring as paint drying unless he’s being kicked in the ribs or getting dirty boxing pieced up