The UFC made the announcement on Wednesday.

FLYING INTO PHILLY WITH TWO TITLE FIGHTS 🦅@MAKHACHEVMMA vs @IanGarryMMA@MackenzieDern vs @Savage_UFC

[ #UFC330 is LIVE AUGUST 15 on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/9TwK13Z954

— UFC (@ufc) June 17, 2026

Makhachev (28-1) returns to the Octagon nine months after capturing the UFC welterweight title at UFC 322 last November. His dominant decision victory over Jack Della Maddalena marked a successful debut at 170 pounds and officially launched the former lightweight champion’s pursuit of a second title reign in a new division.

Garry (17-1) will challenge for UFC gold for the first time in his career when he takes on Makhachev for the welterweight championship. Wins over Geoff Neal, Michael “Venom” Page, Carlos Prates, and former champion Belal Muhammad helped solidify his status as one of the division’s top contenders and ultimately earned him a shot at the title.

Now, the Irish standout faces the toughest test of his career against one of the most dominant champions in MMA. A victory over Makhachev would not only make Garry a UFC champion, but it would also cap off one of the most impressive rises through the welterweight ranks in recent years.

Dern (16-5) captured UFC gold at UFC 321 last October, earning a hard-fought decision victory over fellow title contender Virna Jandiroba. The win completed an eight-year journey to the top after Dern joined the UFC in 2018 carrying enormous expectations as one of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu competitors ever to transition into mixed martial arts.

While the road to championship glory featured its share of setbacks and growing pains, Dern continued to evolve as a complete mixed martial artist. Now, with the belt around her waist, she’ll look to prove her title reign is only just beginning.

Robertson (17-8) has had to make her case ironclad in order to earn a shot at Dern’s title. Victories over Polyana Viana, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Luana Pinheiro, Marina Rodriguez and Amanda Lemos earned her a title shot in Philadelphia.

UFC 330 takes place on August 15 in Philadelphia, PA. The card, as of now, is as follows:

• Islam Makhachev (C) vs. Ian Garry (#1) – UFC Welterweight Championship
• Mackenzie Dern (C) vs. Gillian Robertson (#5) – UFC Strawweight Championship
• Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics
• Vicente Luque vs. Tresean Gore

The post Islam Makhachev vs. Ian Garry Headlines UFC 330, Dern vs. Robertson Co-Main appeared first on Cageside Press.

And also for the man he would rather be fighting.

On Tuesday, “El Matador,” a former featherweight champion in the company who moved to lightweight last year, posted a pointed message on social media directed at Islam Makhachev and Justin Gaethje.

UFC CEO and President Dana White revealed on Sunday that Makhachev had a hand injury, and was never considered for the White House card as a result.

Topuria considers that an excuse. The Georgian-Spanish fighter has targeted a fight with Makhachev since he was featherweight champ. Just as Topuria moved to lightweight, Makhachev jumped up to welterweight. Both won titles in their new homes after vacating their previous belts.

“Once again Islam comes up with an excuse. This time it’s an injury. I always knew I would be part of the White House event. Even when the UFC told me at one point that they wouldn’t count on me for the event, I knew it was part of the negotiation,” wrote Topuria in a post on social media on Tuesday. “When they finally told me I would be on the White House card, they mentioned Islam and I didn’t hesitate for a second to accept the fight. Even though the fight hadn’t been officially confirmed yet, the White House card was going to be announced the next day. And when I woke, I found out that Islam had gotten injured.”

“And then Justin Gaethje appeared. Once again, someone else who will pay for Islam’s escape,” Topuria continued. “Both of their manager is a b*tch and also ugly as hell.”

“Justin, see you at the White House. I’m not someone who humiliates people. It will be quick. When you wake up, everything will already be over.”

Gaethje and Makhachev are represented by the same management team, Dominance MMA.

The post Topuria: Makhachev Came Up With “Excuse,” Tells Gaethje “It Will Be Quick” appeared first on Cageside Press.

During one of the longest MMA breaks we’ve had in several years, it feels only right to look ahead and discuss the fights we are most looking forward to this year.

Last year, we received three of the fights on my annual list. Of the two that did not materialize, one was the talk of the year…until it wasn’t.

This year, the allure of getting on the much anticipated White House card has drawn competitors past and present to throw their hats in the cage. It wouldn’t be unfair to say that for some fighters, being on the White House card is the only thing making a return worth it.

But while that remains the most coveted date in 2026, there are a number of high profile match-ups that would be must see television this year. Not for nothing, there is also a new business structure to take into account. With the pay-per-view era coming to an end this year, will the exposure that comes on CBS and Paramount+ lead to more of these blockbuster fights being made by the UFC to bolster the new partnership?

Without further ado, let us delve into the top fights to make in 2026.

The post Top Five UFC Fights to Make in 2026 appeared first on Cageside Press.

It felt great to know that the promotion still treats Madison Square Garden as a tentpole event. With UFC 322 now in the books, let’s look at what’s next for our main card winners.

Islam Makhachev

If you showed this fight to a new fan and told them one of the fighters in the main event was a former lightweight moving up 15 pounds to try and grab a second title, I bet most people would’ve guessed that Islam Makhachev was the established welterweight. He handled Jack Della Maddalena in a way that is even more impressive when you remember how good JDM’s scrambles are. Islam just makes so few mistakes he even managed to shut down Jack’s offense on the feet. This win now opens the door to a conversation about Makhachev potentially having a stronger resumé than his friend Khabib Nurmagomedov. Moving up 15 pounds and going four-for-four on takedown attempts and getting 19:10 minutes of control time in a 25-minute bout against the undisputed champion five years his junior. Khabib simply does not have a win like this.

As far as his next fight goes, I loved hearing Islam’s attitude of “bring the next one.” From Shavkat Rakhmonov to Ian Machado Garry, Carlos Prates and Kamaru Usman, Makhachev won’t be lacking in contenders. However, I believe the most deserving one is Michael Morales and I’ll explain why further down this article.

Makhachev’s next fight: Michael Morales

Valentina Shevchenko

Yes, Zhang Weili was the smaller fighter coming up a division, but looking at her resumé and the streak she was on coming into this matchup, this might just be Valentina Shevchenko’s best win yet. This fight was a mere pick ’em up until fight week, and Valentina handled Zhang in a way that made her look like just another random contender. While I am incredibly curious to see how Valentina would deal with Kayla Harrison’s physicality at bantamweight, Harrison has to face Amanda Nunes first. In the meantime, there’s a clearly deserving contender for Valentina to face: Natalia Silva.

Shevchenko’s next fight: Natalia Silva

Michael Morales

He’s 25 years old, he’s 19-0, he’s progressively been building his skillset and he’s probably the most athletic fighter at welterweight. What’s not to like about Michael Morales? In his last three fights, he’s KO’d Neil Magny, Gilbert Burns and Sean Brady all in the first round. He’s also been knocking them out faster as he’s moving up the food chain.

Some might say that it’s too early to give him a title shot, but I’d argue he’s the most deserving of the bunch. Shavkat Rakhmonov is in the mix, but he’s been out for the entire and the promotion rarely rewards long layoffs. Kamaru Usman is a legend of the division, but one decision win over Joaquin Buckley shouldn’t put him ahead in such a stacked division. Carlos Prates has had two spectacular consecutive KO wins, but he’s just lost to Ian Machado Garry. Speaking of Garry, he’s coming off a win over Prates and could jump ahead with a win over Belal Muhammad this upcoming weekend, but he lost to Rakhmonov just last year. Morales is the only one with a perfect track record thus far and a 3:27 KO of Brady is as good a win as anyone in that division has. I want to see how Makhachev deals with Morales’ youth and physicality.

Morales’ next fight: Islam Makhachev

Carlos Prates

Man, how about “The Nightmare”? Our 2024 newcomer of the year saw his momentum slow down by Ian Machado Garry in April. Even then, he nearly still pulled off the comeback in the final minute of the fight. He has since responded with highlight reel knockouts of Geoff Neal and now former champion Leon Edwards in just three months. He’s one of the most entertaining fighters at welterweight and now finds himself one fight away from a title shot. After knocking out Neil Magny a year ago, he called out Jack Della Maddalena. While things played out differently, a year later this fight now makes even more sense. With JDM coming off the title loss and Prates one win away, this matchup almost books itself.

Prates’ next fight: Jack Della Maddalena

Benoit Saint Denis

After a rough 2024, the promotion has been building Benoit Saint Denis’s confidence back up by gradually increasing the level of competition. After getting KO’d by Dustin Poirier and then thrashed by Renato Moicano, BSD has finished Kyle Prepolec, a streaking Mauricio Ruffy and now the veteran Beneil Dariush. The “God of War” has had a real bounce back year in 2025 and is now going into 2026 with a lot of the hype he had at the end of 2023. With Paddy Pimblett perhaps getting a title shot and the winner of this upcoming weekend’s main event getting the next one, that leaves Justin Gaethje as the odd man out. The Frenchman is exactly the type of action fighter that offers the sort of challenge that Gaethje has historically welcomed.

Saint Denis’ next fight: Justin Gaethje

The post What’s Next: UFC 322 Winners appeared first on Cageside Press.

The post Islam Makhachev: “Biggest day of my life”, Sees Challenges At 170 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The welterweight title fight that arrived on Saturday in New York City capped off a thrilling night of action, with a number of explosive finishes that fight fans would not soon forget. Those performances might have been spectacular; Maddalena vs. Makhachev was very much about greatness.

Champ JDM had what could only be called an intense look on his face, as he prepared to welcome former lightweight champ Makhachev to 170lbs. Maddalena put the pressure on early, going after the challenger, throwing hands. Makhachev fired a front kick that hit air; Maddalena went to the body. Makhachev did land a few calf kicks, and a minute in, landed his first takedown of the fight.

In half guard, nowhere near the fence, Makhachev had ample time to work. He fired punches to the body and head. Maddalena nearly scrambled out, but gave up his back doing so. The champ scrambled to the fence, Makhachev still on him, but nearly found himself caught in a choke. Maddalena tried to escape out the back, but couldn’t quite make it. Makhachev wound up on top, in half guard. The Dagestani challenger worked for a guillotine, but Maddalena was able to avoid it. He fired upkicks at round’s end, with ref Herb Dean warning the champ that Makhachev was a downed opponent.

Maddalena fanned on a kick to open round two; Makhachev landed his. Makhachev nearly caught a kick, but the champ pulled free. Another leg kick landed for Islam. He then came close with a head kick. JDM clipped Makhachev on the way in, but that didn’t seem to deter the challenger. He tied up JDM along the fence, and soon had the takedown, as much a Maddalena defensive error as an offensive success. Maddalena was in effect upside down for a moment, in north-south, until they came out with Makhachev on top, in half guard. Tight along the fence, Maddalena had nowhere to go. Makhachev had three minutes on the clock.

Unable to scramble out or wall walk, Maddalena was in limbo. Makhachev would eventually get the pair away from the fence, still in full control on top. Maddalena fended off an arm-triangle attempt, but Makhachev dropping a few good elbows. Maddalena did make it to his feet after that, with all of ten seconds left in the round.

About a minute into round three, a Makhachev calf kick nearly took Maddalena’s legs out from under him. The champ then switched stances; a clinch ensued, with both fighters landing. Another leg kick from Makhachev, then a level change and a double-leg takedown. Maddalena appeared to have no answer for the wrestling of the Dagestani. When Makhachev couldn’t set up a choke, he mixed in some shoulder strikes. Then elbows.

More leg kicks softened up Maddalena to start round four. Then, 90 seconds in, came the shot for the takedown. Landed with ease. Maddalena topped over like a tower of cards. Makhachev controlled a wrist. JDM tried to scramble, but couldn’t extricate himself. Soon he had Makhachev on his back, hooks in. The rear-naked choke was in play. Maddalena turned, and the challenger transitioned to top. No finish, but another dominant round.

Another takedown came early for Islam Makhachev in round five. Maddalena, leg chewed up, seemingly had no answer for anything. The most that could be said was that he had avoided being finished. Makhachev worked from guard in this final round, added shoulder strikes, looked for a submission, but ultimately couldn’t put Jack Della Maddalena away. Not that it matters. After twenty-five minutes there was zero question that Islam Makhachev was the new UFC welterweight champion, and now a two-division champ following his lightweight reign.

Official Result: Islam Makhachev def. Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

The post UFC 322: Islam Makhachev Captures Second Title in Lopsided Decision Over Jack Della Maddalena appeared first on Cageside Press.

With two massive title fights topping the card, it wasn’t hyperbole to say it was one of the biggest events of the year. More so for who was challenging for those titles than anything: Islam Makhachev had vacated his lightweight title to challenge for welterweight gold, while Weili Zhang had done the same at strawweight to land a fight with women’s flyweight champ Valentina Shevchenko.

No matter who won on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, history would be made, as both fights, belts be damned, amount to champ versus champ affairs.

With names like Gregory Rodrigues, Leon Edwards, Bo Nickal, Erin Blanchfield, Sean Brady and others also in action, the UFC 322 card was solid from top to bottom. A big performance by Blanchfield early in the night had the possibility of vaulting her into position for the next title fight following Shevchenko vs. Zhang, though Natalia Silva would no doubt have something to say about that.

Following UFC 322, tune in for the event’s post-fight press conference to stay on top of all the breaking news and storylines. A live stream of the affair can be viewed above.

The post UFC 322: Maddalena vs. Makhachev Post-Fight Press Conference Live Stream appeared first on Cageside Press.

In reality, you can view them that way. In an unprecedented bit of booking, two long-serving UFC champions, Makhachev and Zhang, are moving up in weight to pursue second titles against Jack Della Maddalena (the promotion’s current welterweight kingpin) and Valentina Shevchenko (on her second reign as UFC women’s flyweight champ). On the same night, on one of the biggest cards of the year in New York City.

The reality is, had these moves come in an era with, say, less than 40+ UFC events, Islam and Weili might have held on to their titles. But the days of seeing a Conor McGregor or Daniel Cormier parading around the octagon with two titles are likely over, with the promotion no longer keen on having a division held up simply to build the legacy of an individual fighter. No matter how big a draw they might be.

In any case, a promising card awaited fans at Madison Square Garden on Saturday – and we’ve got our picks in! Read on to see how we see the main card playing out.

Writer / Fight	Dariush vs. Saint-Denis	Edwards vs. Prates	Brady vs. Morales	Shevchenko vs. Zhang	Maddalena vs. Makhachev
Eddie Law (128-72)
Alex Behunin (121-73)
Chris Prawdzik (89-58)
Mathis Desjardins (113-77)
Jay Anderson (117-83)
Brett Cagle (114-75)
Patrick Danna (38-30)
Mike Owens (0-0)

It seems like our crew feels there will be one title changing hands on Saturday. Islam Makhachev is heavily favored to claim welterweight gold, with only one writer responding siding with Jack Della Maddalena. That actually goes against the betting line, which sees the fight closer than our crew.

The night’s co-main event was a much closer pick, and we’re split 50/50 between Shevchenko retaining, and Zhang finding glory at flyweight.

The lone unanimous pick on the UFC 322 main card was Carlos Prates, with apologies to ex-welterweight champ Leon Edwards.

The post UFC 322: Maddalena vs. Makhachev Main Card Staff Picks appeared first on Cageside Press.

They are both, in essence, champion versus champion fights, with the caveat that both Makhachev and Zhang were forced to give up their existing belts to pursue opportunities in new weight classes. That’s the reality of the UFC as it heads into the Paramount+ era. It seems the promotion is done with stars holding up divisions, and as much as double-champs could be fun, it’s hard to blame them.

Still, it’s something of a surprise with these two names, given both Islam Makhachev and Weili Zhang are future Hall of Famers (not unlike Valentina Shevchenko).

Weigh-ins for UFC 322 took place on Friday, with only one miss: Beneil Dariush came in 1.2lbs heavy for his fight with Benoit Saint-Denis. Dariush did not continue to cut, and instead pays a 20% fine, but the fight moves forward at a catchweight.

Check out highlights from Friday’s weigh-in, plus results, below.

UFC 322: Maddalena vs. Makhachev Weigh-In Results

Main card

Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena (c) (169.8) vs. Islam Makhachev (170) – for the UFC welterweight championship
Women’s Flyweight: Valentina Shevchenko (c) (124.6) vs. Weili Zhang (124.2) – for the UFC women’s strawweight championship
Welterweight: Sean Brady (169.4) vs. Michael Morales (170.6)
Welterweight: Leon Edwards (170) vs. Carlos Prates (169.6)
Lightweight: Beneil Dariush (157.2)* vs. Benoît Saint Denis (155.6)

Preliminary card 

Middleweight: Bo Nickal (185.8) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (186)
Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (185.2) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (185.8)
Women’s Flyweight: Erin Blanchfield (125.8) vs. Tracy Cortez (125.6)
Featherweight: Malcolm Wellmaker (143.6) vs. Ethyn Ewing (145.2)

Early preliminary card

Middleweight: Kyle Daukaus (186) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (185.6)
Featherweight: Pat Sabatini (145.6) vs. Chepe Mariscal (145.6)
Women’s Strawweight: Angela Hill (115.6) vs. Fatima Kline (115.4)
Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev (185.2) vs. Eric McConico (185.6)
Lightweight: Viacheslav Borshchev (155.8) vs. Matheus Camilo (155.8)

* Dariush weighed in 1.2lbs over the lightweight non-title limit, while stripped down, for his fight with Benoit Saint-Denis. Dariush will forfeit 20% of his fight purse, bout moves forward.

Official Weigh-Ins

Ceremonial Weigh-Ins

The post UFC 322: Maddalena vs. Makhachev Weigh-In Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

They are, in reality, champ versus champ fights, though the reality of the modern UFC landscape as it heads into the Paramount+ era necessitated that both Islam Makhachev (lightweight) and Weili Zhang (strawweight) drop their respective titles prior to moving up to challenge for a second.

And so only Jack Della Maddalena and Valentina Shevchenko will hold gold to start the night at Madison Square Garden this Saturday.

With apologies to the main event, especially given that Jack Della Maddalena has proven himself to be a very good fighter, it’s Shevchenko vs. Zhang that qualifies not just as a champ vs. champ fight, but a super-fight. There simply aren’t enough faces on Mt. Rushmore to make that silly MMA analogy any longer, but on the women’s side of the sport, you might look at it something like this: Gina Carano, Cris Cyborg, Ronda Rousey, Amanda Nunes, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Valentina Shevchenko, and Weili Zhang have had the biggest impact on the sport. Honorable mentions might go to the likes of Miesha Tate, Holly Holm, Rose Namajunas, and pioneers like Megumi Fujii and Jessica Aguilar (that latter’s career trailed off too badly to have at the forefront).

But Zhang and Shevchenko are two current, again excusing one vacated title, UFC champions, two UFC stars, two future Hall of Famers. While the jury is still out on JDM (he’s still new, in his first title defense), their legacy is set in stone.

And the UFC 322 co-main event is very much about legacy. It’s what the main event is as well, as Makhachev looks to arguably surpass friend, mentor and teammate Khabib Nurmagomedov as the most dominant fighter to come out of Dagestan.

Weigh-ins for UFC 322 take place Friday morning in New York, NY, kicking off at 9AM ET, 6AM PT. Results can be found below.

Beneil Dariush was the lone fighter to miss weight for UFC 322, coming in 1.2lbs over the non-title lightweight limit. He did not make a second attempt, and has been fined 20% of his pure. His fight with Benoit Saint-Denis moves forward however.

UFC 322: Maddalena vs. Makhachev Weigh-In Results

Main card

Welterweight: Jack Della Maddalena (c) (169.8) vs. Islam Makhachev (170) – for the UFC welterweight championship
Women’s Flyweight: Valentina Shevchenko (c) (124.6) vs. Weili Zhang (124.2) – for the UFC women’s strawweight championship
Welterweight: Sean Brady (169.4) vs. Michael Morales (170.6)
Welterweight: Leon Edwards (170) vs. Carlos Prates (169.6)
Lightweight: Beneil Dariush (157.2)* vs. Benoît Saint Denis (155.6)

Preliminary card 

Middleweight: Bo Nickal (185.8) vs. Rodolfo Vieira (186)
Middleweight: Roman Kopylov (185.2) vs. Gregory Rodrigues (185.8)
Women’s Flyweight: Erin Blanchfield (125.8) vs. Tracy Cortez (125.6)
Featherweight: Malcolm Wellmaker (143.6) vs. Ethyn Ewing (145.2)

Early preliminary card

Middleweight: Kyle Daukaus (186) vs. Gerald Meerschaert (185.6)
Featherweight: Pat Sabatini (145.6) vs. Chepe Mariscal (145.6)
Women’s Strawweight: Angela Hill (115.6) vs. Fatima Kline (115.4)
Middleweight: Baisangur Susurkaev (185.2) vs. Eric McConico (185.6)
Lightweight: Viacheslav Borshchev (155.8) vs. Matheus Camilo (155.8)

* Dariush weighed in 1.2lbs over the lightweight non-title limit, while stripped down, for his fight with Benoit Saint-Denis. Dariush will forfeit 20% of his fight purse, bout moves forward.

The post UFC 322: Maddalena vs. Makhachev Weigh-In Results — Dariush Heavy appeared first on Cageside Press.