UFC 330 fight card predictions: Expert picks for Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Garry

Islam Makhachev and Ian Machado Garry reignite the rivalry between Dagestan and Ireland. It may not have the bad blood of Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor, but UFC 330 certainly presents the two best welterweights on the planet. 

Makhachev is on a historic run. Already the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighter, every new fight is another opportunity to build his legacy. He started 2025 by breaking the lightweight title defense record and ended it by becoming a two-division champion. On Saturday, he can extend his undefeated UFC streak to 17, breaking a record originally set by Anderson Silva 14 years ago.

Garry doesn’t plan to be a means to an end. The abundantly confident title challenger already considers himself a living great. Equipped with nearly unbeatable skills and trained by BJJ legends Demian Maia and Charles Oliveira, Garry’s potential to upset the champion should not be ignored. 

Sign up for Paramount+ and watch UFC 330 for no additional fee — every UFC numbered event and UFC Fight Night is included with your subscription! Plans start as low as $8.99/month or $89.99/year!

Before we get to the main event, there’s another title fight set for Philly. Amid Zhang Weili’s extended absence, Mackenzie Dern can carve out her own legacy as UFC women’s strawweight champion. That journey begins against Gillian Robertson, who looks to bring Canada its first UFC title in nearly a decade.

Elsewhere on Saturday night, Jalin Turner is back in an important lightweight bout against Kaue Fernandes. Turner, 31, ran into a rough patch beginning in 2023 when it looked like he had turned the corner to become a contender. Consecutive losses to Mateusz Gamrot and Dan Hooker stalled his rise. He bounced back with a TKO of King Green to closes the year, but then suffered back-to-back stoppage losses to Renato Moicano and Ignacio Bahamondes in 2024 and 2025. Turner bounced back once more last December with a TKO of Edson Barboza, but he needs another stellar performance like that on Saturday to establish himself in the rankings at 155 pounds.

Pick your fights for UFC 330! Sign up for our  UFC Pick’em Game on the CBS Sports App. Join the challenge and compete to win $5,000! Picks close Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.

With so much happening on Saturday night, let’s look more closely at the full fight card with the latest odds before we get to our staff predictions and picks for the PPV portion of the festivities that you can consider before hitting the sportsbooks.

UFC 330 fight card, odds

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (Odds as of Aug. 15)

• Islam Makhachev (c) -360 vs. Ian Machado Garry +285, welterweight title
• Mackenzie Dern (c) -218 vs. Gillian Robertson +180, women’s strawweight title
• Jalin Turner -148 vs. Kauê Fernandes +124, lightweights
• Mansur Abdul-Malik -675 vs. Dustin Stoltzfus +470, middleweights
• Esteban Ribovics -675 vs. Edson Barboza +470, lightweights
• Joel Álvarez -305 vs. Chidi Njokuani +245, welterweights
• Charles Johnson -125 vs. Eduardo Henrique +105, flyweights
• Donte Johnson -298 vs. Eric McConico +240, middleweights
• Tresean Gore -118 vs. Vicente Luque -102, middleweights
• Lucas Fernando -298 vs. Rafael Tobias +240, light heavyweights
• Ramiz Brahimaj -142 vs. Neil Magny +120, welterweights
• Myktybek Orolbai -1050 vs. Jeremiah Wells +675, welterweights 

UFC 330 expert picks

With such a massive main event on tap, the crew at CBS Sports went ahead with predictions and picks for the main card from Brian Campbell, Brent Brookhouse, Shakiel Mahjouri, Michael Mormile and Brandon Wise.

Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Garry predictions

Campbell: Garry’s advantages of five inches in height and four inches in reach should combine with his cage IQ and defensive skills to make this a difficult test of Makhachev’s all-around game. However, the two-division champion is the pound-for-pound king for a reason. Garry’s inability to hurt or finish elite foes will likely leave him out of options, even if his takedown defense is strong. Look for Makhachev to break Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive wins and cement himself among the best fighters in the history of the sport in one of his toughest challenges to date. 

Brookhouse: I consider Garry a very live dog in this fight. He’s a legitimate and long welterweight, and Makhachev is still new to the weight. I think Garry will have some good moments throughout the fight while Makhachev needs to figure out a way to close distance with regularity. Ultimately, Makhachev will likely be able to score enough takedowns and do good enough work on the ground to earn a decision victory, but the victory will be hard-fought and earned while Garry proves himself a legitimate contender at 170 pounds.

Mahjouri: Makhachev by decision is the sensible choice. He coasted through five rounds in his welterweight debut. Now he fights a patient opponent who has never been finished. However, Javier Mendez, Makhachev’s coach, convinced me that we’ll see a more aggressive side of the champion. There’s a different risk analysis to weigh when changing divisions. Makhachev addressed those questions last time and enters UFC 330 as a more legitimate welterweight. Garry is well-rounded and responsible, but he lacks the power or conviction to deter Makhachev. The champion respects his challenger, but I doubt he fears him. That should give Makhachev the confidence to get the fight in his realm and secure a finish. He seems motivated to do so.

Wise: For all the reasons my colleagues gave above, I just find a hard time believing in Makhachev holding up in a fight with a true welterweight. While Jack Della Maddalena had zero answer for the wrestling of Makhachev, Garry will have plenty of defense to hold off the grappling. And if the fight becomes and stand-and-trade battle, I prefer Garry’s style and awkwardness to provide a lot of trouble for Makhachev, who’s striking can leave a lot to be desired. Garry does enough to take the fight on enough of the judges’ scorecards and provides a solid value at an underdog price.

Mackenzie Dern vs. Gillian Robertson predictions

Campbell: The ground games of the two submission experts should cancel each other out in this matchup. And, like Dern’s vacant title win against Virna Jandiroba last October, the difference in this fight should come down to the striking. Whatever technical or game-planning deficiencies Dern still has as a striker, even as champion, she compensates for with her toughness, willingness to exchange and big overhand right. The old adage is that becoming a champion makes a fighter 30% better. Look for Dern to rely on that boost in confidence to break through Robertson’s defense and score a resounding stoppage in her first title defense.  

Brookhouse: Back in the old days, we’d refer to stand-up fights between fighters with middling striking skills as “bad kickboxing.” That’s what I expect from this fight, even if middling striking skills these days are leaps and bounds beyond what we were seeing a decade or more in the past. Dern is an exceptional jiu-jitsu player, but she simply doesn’t lean on those skills inside the Octagon. Robertson’s grappling is decent, but Dern isn’t likely to test her there anyway, which means 25 minutes of striking from two women who aren’t sharp strikers. Dern’s experience and aggression likely gets her the win on the scorecards in a fight that plays out this way, and if she engages in her grappling, it’s even smoother sailing for her.

Mahjouri: There are too many holes in each woman’s game to get a clear reading here. Dern yields the single biggest advantage that either fighter has with her jiu-jitsu. Beyond that, neither woman is incredibly proficient at striking or wrestling. Robertson prefers to work from top position, but taking down Dern is dangerous business. The challenger is a more efficient striker and wrestler, and that should make the difference here. If Robertson can keep the fight standing, she’ll generally get the better of Dern. Against Virna Jandiroba, Dern’s submission game was negated, but she edged out the striking. Here, the champion can probably produce a finish on mats but will have less success on the feet. Dern has an abysmal takedown percentage; although, she eventually gets her opponents down. Robertson’s grappling defense must be foolproof for five rounds. If so, you’ll have a new UFC women’s strawweight champion.

Wise: Frankly, I’m not understanding the line on this fight. Dern has established herself as champion with a strong performance against Jandiroba, absolutely. But it’s not that long ago that Dern was 2-4 and in a true rut while proving inconsistent. Since 2022, Dern has posted a 5-3 record. In that same time, Robertson has posted a 7-2 mark against largely the same level of competition. Robertson has showed she can hang with anyone in this division and utilizes that strong wrestling control to do so. If the fight turns into a stand-and-trade brawl, I’m trusting the level of expertise and training of coach Din Thomas to find the holes in Dern’s striking to do enough over five rounds and get the win.

Who wins Makhachev vs. Machado Garry, and how exactly does the fight end? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed picks and analysis from the incomparable expert who is up over $21,000 on his UFC picks since May 2018, and find out.