Makhachev Vs. Garry: Pro Fighters Make Their UFC 330 Picks
Most professional fighters expect Islam Makhachev to defend his welterweight title with relative ease when he faces Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Chicago on Saturday.
Makhachev enters as a minus-390 favorite over the Irish challenger, who sits at plus-280 on FanDuel, per BJPenn.com. Of six fighters polled by the outlet, only one picked Garry to pull the upset.
🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC 330 on Ticketmaster →
Whittaker Sees Path for Garry Upset
Robert Whittaker bucked the consensus, telling BJPenn.com that Garry's jiu-jitsu and striking could pose problems for the champion. "I think Ian can actually pose some problems to Islam with his jiu-jitsu and his striking," the UFC heavyweight/" class="internal-link text-bone underline decoration-ash/30 hover:decoration-gold underline-offset-2">light heavyweight said. "It will be an interesting fight, but I actually think Ian can get the win."
The other five pros sided with Makhachev, though they disagreed on whether he would finish the job inside the distance. Gillian Robertson predicted a dominant performance ending in a stoppage, while Adrian Yanez noted the stylistic similarities between Garry's previous opponent Shavkat Rakhmonov and Makhachev, suggesting the fight could go the full five rounds.
🎟️ Get tickets: Buy tickets to UFC 330 on Ticketmaster →
Diego Ferreira pointed to the champion's grappling as the decisive factor. Kyle Daukaus went further, saying he expects Makhachev to make it look easy. Billy Quarantillo acknowledged Garry's reach and striking variety could make things competitive but still favored the defending champion.
The main event airs Saturday night from Chicago with Makhachev defending his welterweight strap for the first time.
Reported via:
Related Fighters & Stats
Get Ringside Updates
Fight announcements, results, and analysis delivered to your inbox. No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.