Pound-for-pound number one Islam Makhachev takes on Ian Machado Garry as he defends his welterweight title for the first time at UFC 330.
The event takes place on Saturday 15 August at the Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The fights begin at 5 PM ET with the Early Preliminary Card, followed by the Preliminary Card at 7 PM ET and the Main Card at 9 PM ET.
Our article gives you our two best bets for the main event, as well as the current moneyline odds for UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry.
UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry betting picks and predictions
Over 3.5 rounds (-220)
Makhachev (28-1-0) faces a difficult puzzle to solve in Machado Garry (17-1-0) as he bids to eclipse Anderson Silva's 16-fight UFC winning streak.
The Russian claimed the welterweight title in relatively comfortable fashion against Jack Della Maddalena last November, winning a lopsided decision.
The 34-year-old competed in the striking exchanges with the Australian, which opened up opportunities to use his dominant grappling.
It was Makhachev's debut in the 170lb division after moving up following four successful defenses of his lightweight strap.
The Dagestan athlete's Sambo wrestling pedigree under the Nurmagomedov tutelage, along with his improved kickboxing, has put him into the dominant position as the sport's pound-for-pound number one.
Machado Garry is 10-1 in the UFC and has proved a master tactician so far, using his elite footwork to compete with varying styles.
A win over former champion Belal Muhammad last time out demonstrated he was able to get past cardio heavy grapplers, while a five-round win over Carlos Prates showed for the most part that he is able to outwit the division's most feared strikers.
The 28-year-old's defense has proved a key weapon, with exceptional distance and Octagon space management, to allow his counter striking kickboxing game to thrive.
However, just as the Irishman is a master of controlling the geography of a fight on the feet, on the ground Makhachev is the king of dictating position and pace.
The champion may be a clear favourite here, but this could be a tougher night at the office than many expect.
Machado Garry 25+ significant strikes (-160)
Machado Garry's only UFC defeat came to another elite grappler in a 2024 unanimous decision defeat to Shavkat Rakhmonov.
However, it took Rakhmonov four rounds to finally get the Irishman to the mat, with the Kazakhstan fighter landing just two of 10 attempted takedowns, with Machado Garry's overall UFC takedown defense standing at 80%.
Rakhmonov has not fought since due to a knee injury sustained from one of Machado Garry's kicks, which is something he could look to implement here if he is able to get Makhachev to stand in front of him.
Makhachev's toughest recent test came against Dustin Poirier in all-out war in 2024, with many scorecards 2-2 going into the final round, before the Russian landed a late D'arce choke.
Poirier landed 74 significant strikes against Makhachev as he worked his jab to good effect, with Alexander Volkanovski also able to land 70 significant strikes in the pair's first contest.
Machado Garry brings a five-inch height and four-inch reach advantage here, which bodes well if he can keep this fight standing and establish his jab.
The Irishman has landed 50+ significant strikes in seven of his 10 UFC wins and, although he may spend some time on the mat, he has shown he can get back to his feet against elite wrestlers and re-establish his own striking game.
UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry odds
Islam Makhachev | Ian Machado Garry | |
Moneyline | -350 | +275 |
By Decision or Technical Decision | +125 | +425 |
By KO, TKO or DQ | +950 | +1000 |
By Submission | +205 | +3000 |
Total Rounds | Over | Under |
1.5 | -600 | +400 |
2.5 | -320 | +235 |
3.5 | -220 | +170 |
4.5 | -165 | +130 |
Fight To Go The Distance | Yes | No |
-150 | +120 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
