Islam Makhachev breaks Anderson Silva’s UFC record with 17th straight win in title defense

Islam Makhachev didn’t just walk out of UFC 330 in Philadelphia with his welterweight title still over his shoulder; he walked away with arguably the most revered record in mixed martial arts: a 17th consecutive UFC win, one more than the mark set by legendary middleweight Anderson Silva.

Makhachev’s record-setting victory came over Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 48-47) in one of Makhachev’s closest fights. After dominating with his trademark grappling in the first round and flashing his improved stand-up striking in the second, Makhachev looked uncharacteristically fatigued for the final two rounds and seemed to have run out of answers for Machado Garry’s spindly striking.

But in fitting fashion, it was a key takedown with just under three minutes left in the bout that sealed the victory — and the record — for Makhachev.

“Ian is a great fighter, a good man, and he gave me a hard time,” Makhachev said in the cage after the win. “But I still prove (myself) every fight.”

His streak began in September 2016 with a unanimous decision victory over Chris Wade, and 11 of those fights ended in finishes. Saturday night marked his seventh consecutive title-fight victory since October 2022 — the first five for the lightweight title and the past two for the welterweight strap. After the bout, Makhachev suggested his first fight against Alexander Volkanovski, in February 2023, was the toughest bout of the streak. But Saturday certainly was one of the closest.

Machado Garry entered the night seeking to become this generation’s star UFC champion from Ireland and represented one of the most physically complex challenges of Makhachev’s streak. Standing several inches taller and weaponizing sharp kicks that left Makhachev breathing with his mouth wide open starting in the third round, Machado Garry used his frame to stuff several Makhachev takedowns and force Makhachev to spend much of the third and fourth rounds in the clinch rather than on the ground, where the Dagestani champion has steamrolled many of the world’s best fighters.

But in the fifth, with Makhachev seemingly on the ropes, the champion showed his heart. After another two minutes of dangerous Machado Garry strikes, Makhachev deftly tripped the challenger and quickly scrambled to take Machado Garry’s back and eventually take Silva’s record.

“Nothing surprised me,” Machado Garry said after the defeat. “I have nothing but respect for Islam.”

Silva’s streak spanned June 2006 to October 2012 and featured 10 consecutive title finishes, a UFC record. But while Silva’s streak ended in a minute of overconfidence, allowing Chris Weidman to capitalize with one of the most stunning knockouts in MMA history, Makhachev has shown no signs of letting his guard down or slowing his pace as the promotion’s top pound-for-pound star.

In recent years, the winning-streak record had numerous promising challengers. Kamaru Usman racked up 15 straight wins before getting knocked out by a stunning last-minute headkick by Leon Edwards in 2022. Merab Dvalishvili had his streak of 14 straight wins snapped in December as he was going for a UFC-record fourth title defense in a calendar year. The shortcomings of Usman and Dvalishvili, future Hall of Famers, only point to how difficult the historic mark was to reach.

Makhachev’s mentor, legendary lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, is considered one of the greatest fighters of all time, but he retired with a career record of 29-0 and a 12-0 record in the UFC. Makhachev and Nurmagomedov, who have trained together for much of their lives, were both coached by Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap. Before Khabib retired, his father promised that Makhachev would carry the championship torch of their gym.

With Saturday’s win, Makhachev has carried that torch to heights the UFC has never previously charted. And as he promised in a recorded interview before UFC 330, he has plans for far more than 17 consecutive wins.