Islam Makhachev’s Historic Win at UFC 330 Gets Slammed as “Very Underwhelming” by Fans

Islam Makhachev created UFC history at UFC 330, but his record-breaking win over Ian Garry left many far from impressed. The Dagestani phenom successfully defended his UFC welterweight title for the first time against ‘The Future,’ winning via unanimous decision after five hard-fought rounds in Philadelphia. More importantly, the win propelled him to 17 consecutive UFC wins, breaking his tie with Anderson Silva and making him the fighter with the longest winning streak in UFC history.

But while the result was historic, the performance was instantly criticized, especially since Islam Makhachev relied too heavily on his wrestling throughout the match, regularly taking Ian Machado Garry down and driving him into lengthy grappling exchanges that rarely looked like a serious threat.

To make the optics look worse, ‘The Future’ showed impressive takedown defense and repeatedly worked his way back to his feet, despite the champion’s continued effort to drag him into the clinch and control him against the fence.

Even though the Dagestani fighter came real close to finishing Ian Garry with a D’Arce choke, the Irishman successfully defended it. It was only in the final round that Makhachev looked real convincing, taking Ian Garry’s back and securing a body triangle, doing just enough to effectively close out the fight and get the decision win.

Throughout the fight, the Irishman had his moments, particularly with body kicks and the ability to defend against numerous of Islam Makhachev’s takedown attempts. However, the champion’s control and persistence ultimately carried him to another victory. And that’s precisely where the criticism began.

As the criticism came from fans who had expected more from Makhachev on the biggest night of his career.

One fan questioned whether the champion’s best days could already be behind him, “Very underwhelming performance tho Islam may be getting washed”

Another admitted that even after backing the champion, the performance failed to convince him: “I bet on Islam but bruh I was not Convinced he did enough to secure the Win.”

Even fans who count the welterweight champion among their favorites were unhappy with the approach, with one writing, “Bro islam is one of my favorite fighters but facts are facts he had to stall the fight to win.”

Another summarized the criticism more bluntly: “Sacrificed entertainment for goat status”

The performance also prompted some fans to push back against comparisons between Makhachev and other all-time greats: “Please don’t put this dude in jones conversations with that wrestler stalling s—”

Several viewers focused on the visible damage, or lack thereof, as evidence that they felt Garry had done more meaningful work. They wrote comments such as, “Look at both their faces and tell me who really won,” and “Someone can win without dealing 0 damage? Hahaha look at Islam’s face and Ian’s face.”

Others reduced the Dagestani’s strategy to a single description: “Professional staller”

Another fan argued that Islam Makhachev’s approach becomes increasingly predictable whenever he encounters serious resistance: “As soon as Islam gets in a tough fight he legit just holds people.”

And one particularly frustrated viewer felt the champion simply hadn’t done enough offensively despite controlling the fight, “Landed one shot all fight, a whole lot of hugging with no submission attempts or damage. The dude lost.”

So, while Islam Makhachev may have left Philadelphia with the UFC’s longest winning streak, the manner of his latest victory has ensured that his historic night will also be remembered for the debate surrounding control versus damage.

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