Ian Machado Garry to fight Islam Makhachev for welterweight title at UFC 330, becomes first Irishman since Conor McGregor to fight for UFC belt
Published 18/06/2026 at 10:03 GMT+1
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Ian Machado Garry will face defending champion Islam Makhachev for the welterweight title at UFC 330 in August - with all the action from the event at Philadelphia's XFinity Mobile Arena live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.
Highlights: Machado Garry claims unanimous points victory over Muhammad
Video credit: TNT Sports
Irishman Machado Garry is set to become the first man from his country to fight for a UFC belt since Connor McGregor lost his lightweight title to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018.
The 28-year-old is ranked first in the welterweight rankings after beating former title-holder Belal Muhammad in November.
Makhachev will defend his title for the first time, having won the belt with victory over Jack Della Maddalena in New York in November.
He will face stern opposition in Machado Garry, who has won 10 of his 11 fights since joining the UFC in 2021, with his only defeat coming against Shavkat Rakhmonov via decision in December 2024.
Makhachev, meanwhile, has also only lost once in 18 UFC bouts, losing to Adriano Martins in his second fight in the promotion over a decade ago.
The 34-year-old previously held the lightweight title and broke the record for the most successful title-defences in UFC history (four) before moving up a division.
If he beats Machado Garry, Makhachev will break Anderson Silva's record 16-fight UFC win streak.
There were suggestions that Brazilian Carlos Prates or Ecuadorian Michael Morales might get a title shot in Philadelphia.
The former is second in the welterweight rankings after winning his last three fights by KO, although he was beaten by Machado Garry last year.
Morales, 26, has won all seven of his UFC fights after entering the promotion in 2022.
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Before the main event clash between Machado Garry and Makhachev, American-Brazilian Mackenzie Dern will defend her strawweight title against Canada's Gillian Robertson.
Dern got the better of Virna Jandiroba to win the belt in October, while Robertson has won her last five fights and beat Amanda Lemos in March.
Which UFC fights are available on TNT Sports?
TNT Sports will bring you live coverage of every UFC card from across the USA and beyond.
Here is a list of confirmed events that are set to be showcased. All events can be re-watched on the streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK, HBO Max.
| EVENT | DATE |
| UFC Fight Night: Manel Kape v Kyoji Horiguchi | Sunday, June 21, 2026 |
| UFC Fight Night: Rafael Fiziev v Manuel Torres | Saturday, June 27, 2026 |
| UFC 329: Conor McGregor v Max Holloway (TNT Sports Box Office) | Sunday, July 12, 2026 |
| UFC Fight Night: Magomed Ankalaev v Khalil Rountree | Saturday, July 25, 2026 |
| UFC Fight Night: Uros Medic v Daniel Rodriguez | Saturday, August 1, 2026 |
| UFC 330: Ian Machado Garry v Islam Makhachev | Saturday, August 15, 2026 |
A select number of events, including UFC 329, will be on TNT Sports Box Office.
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