UFC 330 Stars Islam Makhachev & Ian Machado Garry Face Off by Iconic ‘Rocky’ Statue

Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry squared off in front of one of Philadelphia’s most iconic landmarks ahead of their fight at UFC 330.

For the first time since 2017, Philadelphia, PA hosts the UFC Octagon this Saturday night when UFC 330 takes place at the Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Makhachev will attempt to defend his welterweight belt for the first time when he meets Machado Garry in the card’s headlining bout, while Mackenzie Dern is also set to kick off her strawweight title reign in the co-main event when she takes on Gillian Robertson.

Rocky Statue Overlooks Islam Makhachev & Ian Machado Garry Faceoff Before UFC 330

With fight week in full swing, the UFC brought Makhachev and Machado Garry to Philadelphia’s iconic Rocky statue for one of several face-offs that they’ll have this week.

A career-defining clash 👊@MAKHACHEVMMA vs @iangarryMMA

[ #UFC330 | LIVE SAT AUG 15 | 9pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/LIs18fqJWq
— UFC (@ufc) August 12, 2026

Along with the two UFC 330 headliners, Dern and Robertson also got to square off in front of the Rocky statue before their own championship bout.

For Strawweight dominance 😤@MackenzieDern vs @savage_ufc

[ #UFC330 | LIVE SAT AUG 15 | 9pmET on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/ZvccqIPjts
— UFC (@ufc) August 12, 2026

Makhachev has a chance to make some significant promotional history at UFC 330, as the 34-year-old has already tied Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive UFC wins when he dominated Jack Della Maddalena in November to claim the welterweight belt.

Islam Makhachev Could Set UFC Win Record vs. Ian Machado Garry

Prior to his move up to welterweight, Makhachev had already established himself as an all-time great during a reign with the lightweight title that saw him win the division's belt in 2022 and defend it on four different occasions.

Islam Makhachev (red gloves) reacts after defeating Renato Moicano (not pictured) in a lightweight title fight during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Makhachev finished four out of his five opponents during that championship run, and his current 17-fight win streak dates all the way back to a 2016 unanimous decision over Chris Wade that followed his lone career loss to Adriano Martins at UFC 192.

Ian Machado Garry (red gloves) fights Carlos Prates (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at T-Mobile Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Machado Garry enters UFC 330 after defeating Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad last year, and those results also followed the Irishman’s first and only loss at the hands of the still-undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov in late 2024.

Will Welterweight or Strawweight Belts Change Hands at UFC 330?

“The Future” will be looking to spoil Makhachev’s bid for history on Saturday night, but Robertson will also try to score an upset of her own when she challenges Dern in the co-main event.

Marina Rodriguez (red gloves) fights Gillian Robertson (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Wells Fargo Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A member of the UFC roster since 2017 after she appeared on The Ultimate Fighter Season 26, Robertson is currently on an impressive five-fight win streak that most recently saw her defeat former title challenger Amanda Lemos in March.

Mackenzie Dern is prepped before fighting against Amanda Lemos during UFC 298 at Honda Center. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Dern dropped a decision to Lemos when the pair met in a “Fight of the Night”-winning scrap at UFC 298, but since then the 33-year-old has won three-straight bouts and took a unanimous decision over Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 to win the vacant UFC strawweight belt.

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