IslamMakhachev showed off his fishing skills ahead of his maidentitle defense at welterweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Before facing Ian Garry(17-1) at UFC330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia,Makhachev (28-1) has been enjoying his off-time while based in NewJersey. While he frequently fishes back in his home country andwhile doing training camps in the United States, the Russian'sresolve was recently tested by a shark.
Makhachev has now done two training camps on the East Coast, withNew Jersey serving as the Dagestani's team's base. Notably, theformer lightweight champ did his training camp in Jersey last yearahead of the welterweight ***** le-winning effort against JackDella Maddalena in New York. Fishing has emerged as one of hisfavorite pastimes when he isn't training.

The latest episode of the UFC's "Embedded" video series on YouTubefollowed Makhachev and some of his teammates fishing by thecoastline. In the video, Makhachev is seen using a large fishingrod before eventually reeling in a shark. His segment ends with thechampion posing for a picture while jokingly bemoaning that he hasto train the following day after being pushed to the limit by theshark.

He addressed his hobby in the first episode of "Embedded" as well,proudly showcasing his fishing rod.

#embedded #islammakhachev

This weekend, pound-for-pound No 1 Islam Makhachev defends his welterweight ****** le against Ian Machado Garry in the main event of UFC 330.
The bout marks Makhachev's first defence of the belt, which he won by dominating and outpointing Jack Della Maddalena in November, after giving up the lightweight belt following a record-breaking four successful defences.
And the Russian, 34, faces an intriguing test against the divisive Machado Garry, 28, who enters the fight with just one professional loss to his name.
UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev (Getty)
The Irishman bounced back from that narrow points defeat by Shavkat Rakhmonov with wins over ex-champ Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates, and he enters UFC 330 full of confidence.

#islam #pound #jack #della

IslamMakhachev is far more comfortable competing at welterweight andwon't move back down to 155 pounds.

Makhachev (28-1) defended the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight **** le four timesbefore moving up to welterweight. He dominantly dethroned JackDella Maddalena to win the 170-pound **** le last year and is nowscheduled to defend it against Ian Garry(17-1) at UFC330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
Makhachev's coach, Javier Mendez, doesn't believe his fighter willswitch between weight classes and is likely done with lightweightentirely. Mendez recently revealed that the champion has gainedfive kilos (11 pounds) of muscle since moving up to welterweightand isn't looking to move back down.

"He's gained five kilos of muscle and feels better atwelterweight," Mendez told Alvaro Colmenero. "He prefers thisweight class. I don't think he'll ever fight at lightweight."

Notably, Makhachev has previously stated that he can compete atmiddleweight as well. When Dricus DuPlessis was the 185-pound champion, then-lightweight kingMakhachev claimed that if the UFC offered him a **** le fight againstthe South African, he would gladly accept. However, the Russianhasn't mentioned middleweight since moving up, shining a light on170-pound contenders like CarlosPrates instead.

#mendez #welterweight #move

Fighting Nerds teammates Jean Silvaand CaioBorralho seemingly disagree on how the upcoming Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight ***** le fight willplay out.

IanGarry (17-1) is scheduled to challenge IslamMakhachev (28-1) for the 170-pound ***** le at UFC330 on Aug. 15 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Whilethe reigning champion is a massive betting favorite, many fightershave picked Garry to pull off an upset.
While Silva is backing Garry to come out on top, he admits thatsupporting the Irishman is challenging, likely referring to histeammate CarlosPrates' loss to "The Future" last year.

"I like Ian Garry, I prefer Ian Garry," Silva said in a recentinterview. "I have little problem for my team."

Meanwhile, Borralho shook his head in disagreement as Silva weighedin on the fight.

Garry has nine wins in the UFC and has only lost to ShavkatRakhmonov, who is currently sidelined as he recovers frominjury. The former Cage Warriors champion has beaten the likes of Prates, BelalMuhammad, Geoff Nealand NeilMagny.

Meanwhile, Makhachev is on a 16-fight winning streak, tied withAndersonSilva for the longest in UFC history. The Dagestani championdefended the lightweight ***** le four times before moving up towelterweight and dethroning JackDella Maddalena.

#fight #fighting #meanwhile #jean

UFC welterweight contender Carlos Prates has his eye on the prize.
Prates (24-7 MMA, 7-1 UFC) positioned himself in the **** le race after three straight finishes of Geoff Neal and former UFC champions Leon Edwards and Jack Della Maddalena.
Prates was called out by the recently victorious Sean Brady and Uros Medic, but the Brazilian dismissed both challenges.
"A lot of you guys seanbradymma, medicu, and the other welterweights — have been mentioning my name. Calm down, brothers. In my next fight, I'm taking that belt. After that, I'll deal with all of you and take you straight to the Kingdom of Pain. Be ready. Nothing personal, just business."

#carlos #jack #maddalena

CarlosPrates will accept call-outs from other welterweights in theUltimate Fighting Championship only after he fights for the170-pound ***** le.

Prates (24-7) recently addressed call-outs from fellow contendersSeanBrady and Uros Medic."The Nightmare" ***** ured fans that he will take them on once he hasfought for the belt in his next bout.
Prates is also confident that he will win the welterweight ***** le inhis next outing. He tagged Brady and Medic in a recent Instagrampost, vowing to take them on once he becomes champion.

"A lot of you guys [Sean Brady], [Uros Medic], and the otherwelterweights have been mentioning my name," Prates wrote onInstagram. "Calm down, brothers. In my next fight, I'm taking thatbelt. After that, I'll deal with all of you and take you straightto the Kingdom of Pain. Be ready. Nothing personal, justbusiness."

Prates has finished all seven of his UFC wins and has only droppeda decision to Ian Garry,who fights for the ***** le next at UFC330. The Brazilian established himself as a leading contenderfor the championship with a stoppage win over JackDella Maddalena in May, while the undefeated MichaelMorales is also in the ***** le mix.

Furthermore, reigning welterweight champion IslamMakhachev has also welcomed a fight against Prates.

#uros #championship

Chris Weidman sees welterweight champion Islam Makhachev frustrating Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330.
Makhachev (28-1 MMA, 17-1 UFC) makes his first ****** le defense against Machado Garry (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in the Aug. 15 main event at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia (Paramount+). Makhachev claimed the welterweight ****** le at UFC 322 by taking down Jack Della Maddalena four times and controlling him for more than 19 minutes.
"I think this is going to be a really stressful fight for Ian Garry," Weidman said on "Deep Waters." "I don't think he's going to be as comfortable because he's going to be sh*tting his pants about the takedown because he sees how good Islam is on the ground, and Islam is going to throw hard on the feet, too."
Machado Garry has been criticized for his fighting style, which Weidman believes will benefit him against Makhachev.
"The best thing that he's got going for him is that he's not afraid to have a boring fight," Weidman said of Machado Garry. "He's not afraid to use footwork, run non-stop. He has no problem running from you the whole ****** time."

#makhachev #think

Ian Machado Garry has said he is “already thinking” about whom to defend the UFC welterweight ***** le against – before even fighting for the belt.
On 15 August, the Irishman will challenge champion Islam Makhachev, as the pair headline UFC 330 in Philadelphia.
The bout marks Makhachev’s first defence of the belt, although he broke the record for most lightweight-title defences before moving up to welterweight in November.
When it came time to challenge for the welterweight strap, Makhachev employed his wrestling skillset to dominate Jack Della Maddalena and win on points at Madison Square Garden, in New York City.
The result was the Russian’s 16th win in a row since his sole professional loss, while Machado Garry also has a single defeat to his name.

#welterweight

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 15: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts to his win over Jack Della Maddalena of Australia in the UFC welterweight championship fight during the UFC 322 event at Madison Square Garden on November 15, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
The next UFC ******* le fights take place at UFC 330. That event, which is scheduled for August 15 at Philadelphia’s Xfinity Mobile Arena, will see two UFC belts on the line. In the main event, UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev faces Ian Machado Garry. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, Mackenzie Dern puts her strawweight ******* le on the line against Gillian Robertson. The UFC recently officially confirmed 10 fights for the upcoming fight card.
Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Machado Garry
Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson
Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj
Jalin Turner vs. Kauê Fernandes
Geoff Neal vs. Chidi Njokuani
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai
Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore
Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics
Erin Blanchfield vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
FORBES | By Trent Reinsmith
UFC 329: Fight Card Order Set For McGregor Vs. Holloway 2
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - OCTOBER 21: Islam Makhachev of Russia reacts after his knockout victory against Alexander Volkanovski of Australia in the UFC lightweight championship fight during the UFC 294 event at Etihad Arena on October 21, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

IanGarry is drawing inspiration from SeanStrickland ahead of his maiden **** le bid in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Garry (17-1) believes he can pull off an upset and emergevictorious when he takes on welterweight champion IslamMakhachev (28-1) in the main event of UFC 330at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Aug. 15. The Irishman ishigh in confidence, especially considering the last two numberedevents ended in big upsets.
Garry questions those who aren't giving him a chance againstMakhachev and points to Strickland's win over the previouslyunbeaten KhamzatChimaev at UFC328.

"If people think when Sean Strickland goes out and beats KhamzatChimaev and upsets the apple cart, and no one expected, no one cansit here and think that it's impossible that I can beat IslamMakhachev," He told Paul Browne.

"The Future" added that he's a far more well-rounded fighter thanStrickland and that the combination of his skills and intelligencewill be challenging for Makhachev to handle.

"If anything, I'm a far more dangerous threat. I'm far morecomplete and I have way, way, way more ways of winning that fight.I am the most dangerous opponent for Islam Makhachev, and it's myjob to go out and prove that. My mindset, my vision, and my fightIQ… Three things that can't be taught. You either have them or youdon't."

Garry is coming off decision wins over former champion BelalMuhammad and Carlos Prates, while Makhachev won the welterweighttitle by beating JackDella Maddalena. Furthermore, while the former is motivated byrecent underdog victories, the latter is looking to surpassAndersonSilva by breaking the record for most consecutive UFC wins.

Don't expect to see Islam Makhachev in a Real American Freestyle singlet any time soon.
The UFC welterweight champion is currently gearing up for his first ******* le defence since moving up to 170 pounds. He's only recently stepped into the division, but the challenges are already piling up.
Makhachev looked dominant in his last fight against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, where he picked up his second divisional ******* le in mixed martial arts.
To solidify his position at the top, Makhachev needs to get past Ian Machado Garry this summer. But even then, there's a long list of contenders waiting their turn, so there isn't much room for distractions right now.
Recently, several fighters have started taking on wrestling and grappling matches between UFC bouts to stay active.

The No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in MMA finally has his next ***** ignment.
Islam Makhachev is set to make the first defense of his UFC welterweight ***** le against Ian Machado Garry on Aug. 15 at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. The bout headlines a card that also features Mackenzie Dern defending her UFC strawweight ***** le against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event. UFC announced the news Wednesday.
Makhachev (28-1) has been out of action since November, when he dominated Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 to capture the welterweight ***** le in his divisional debut. The performance made Makhachev a two-weight UFC champion and pulled him into a tie for the longest win streak in UFC history (16).
Prior to moving up to 170 pounds, Makhachev set the new standard for lightweight excellence in the UFC, establishing a new promotional record for the most consecutive lightweight ***** le defenses with four.
Machado Garry (17-1) has won 10 of his 11 Octagon appearances, including two straight over top contenders Carlos Prates and Belal Muhammad since suffering a short-notice loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in December 2024.

Belal Muhammad's time as the top welterweight is becoming an increasingly distant memory after he suffered another loss in the UFC Fight Night 278 main event.
Muhammad (24-6 MMA, 15-6 UFC) had no answers for Gabriel Bonfim (20-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) on Saturday at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. He lost all five rounds on each of the three judges' scorecards, marking his third consecutive defeat since being dethroned of UFC gold by Jack Della Maddalena in May 2025.
Muhammad struggled to find ways to be effective in his previous setbacks to Della Maddalena and Ian Machado Garry, but those losses are to a more proven caliber of fighter than Bonfim, respectfully.
Maybe Bonfim goes on to be that guy in the division. Unfortunately, that does nothing of benefit to Muhammad now. He turns 38 next month, and this is obviously a proven danger zone for a fighter.
It's not to say Muhammad can't still get some significant wins in this division. His rival and fellow former champion Kamaru Usman was ironically in a nearly identical situation of three straight losses, and he managed to get back on track with a main event win over Joaquin Buckley.