After falling 1 pick shy of having a perfect night last week, we’re back to break down UFC 330 as the promotion heads to Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia on Saturday. Islam Makhachev is chasing history, Gillian Robertson is looking to become the first ever female Canadian champion in the UFC ranks, and a slew of up and comers will be jockeying for position in the UFC rankings after tonight’s card.
The 3 fight early prelims card kicks off at 5:30pm ET, followed by a 4 fight preliminary card at 7pm ET. Things then switch over to the 5 fight main card as of 9pm ET with the entirety of the show being streamed live on Paramount+. Let’s get into it.
2026 Prediction Record (21-5-0)
UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Garry
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook (as of August 15th)
- Islam Makhachev (-360) vs. Ian Machado Garry (+285)
- Mackenzie Dern (-192) vs. Gillian Robertson (+160)
- Jalin Turner (-112) vs. Kaue Fernandes (-108)
- Mansur Abdul-Malik (-700) vs. Dustin Stoltzfus (+500)
- Edson Barboza (+500) vs. Esteban Ribovics (-700)
Prelims
- Chidi Njokuani (+245) vs. Joel Alvarez (-305)
- Charles Johnson (-120) vs. Eduardo Henrique (+100)
- Donte Johnson (-325) vs. Eric McConico (+260)
- Vincente Luque (-108) vs. Tresean Gore (-112)
- Rafael Tobias (+235) vs. Lucas Fernando (-290)
- Neil Magny (+124) vs. Ramiz Brahimaj (-148)
- Jeremiah Wells (+675) vs. Myktybek Orolbai (-1050)
Predictions:
Islam Makhachev (C) vs. Ian Machado Garry (#1) – Welterweight
Makhachev is widely considered one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world, and for good reason. Currently tied with Anderson Silva for the longest win streak in UFC history with 16 straight victories, a win on Saturday would put Makhachev into a league of his own in MMA lore.
The 34 year old hasn’t suffered a professional loss since UFC 192 back in October of 2015. His recent run of fights seem to skew towards either a first round victory (Brabo choke submission win over Renato Moicano & a KO of Alexander Volkanovski) or a 5 round war (Volkanovski again, Dustin Poirier, and Jack Della Maddalena). So if you’re siding with the favourite here, and are looking to build a parlay on the fight, rounds 2-4 should be a quick cross off from your list.
With an elite combination of sambo, wrestling, and an ever improving striking game, there aren’t really many holes in Makhachev’s skillset at this point of his career. If Garry wants to be the spoiler, he’ll need to execute a nearly flawless game plan and find a way to stay out of the clinch and off the ground. Which is obviously easier said than done against a fighter the calibre of Makhachev.
For his part, Garry seems to have all the tools necessary to eventually capture UFC gold. He should be a stiff test for the champ and give Makhachev pause as he tries to find his range due to the Irishman’s length. Garry has been able to “point fight” his way to wins in the past, and that seems like the most likely pathway to victory here.
There’s been a surge of late money coming in on Garry potentially being the one to dethrone Makhachev, and eventually everybody loses sometime. But I don’t see it being tonight. Garry puts up a valiant effort, but history gets made in Philadelphia.
Prediction: Makhachev by Unanimous Decision
Mackenzie Dern (C) vs. Gillian Robertson (#5) – Strawweight
Mackenzie Dern finally got her long desired belt when she defeated Virna Jandiroba at UFC 321 to capture the vacant strawweight title. After going through a shaky run where she went 2-4 to drop her record to 13-5, Dern has rattled off three straight victories to move to the top of the heap in the strawweight division.
What Dern lacks in power, she more than makes up for with a dangerous jiujitsu game, and will look to capitalize on that strength against Robertson on Saturday. If things get taken to the mat, that’s where Dern will outshine her opponent. But despite the fact that she’s now a UFC champion, I don’t think you’ll find too many people touting her as a dominant fighter in other aspects of her skillset.
Robertson is the more dangerous striker here and will be looking to keep things standing either in the centre of the ring or in the clinch. Currently riding a 5 fight win streak (2 wins via TKO), the 31 year old isn’t getting a ton of love at the sports books at the moment with a reported 75% of bets coming in on Dern as this writing.
That being said, I think this line should be closer than it currently is. With most books giving Dern 2-1 favourite status in a fight I think has a wider range of outcomes than perhaps people are giving Robertson credit for. I think this fight goes the distance, and given the line and Robertson’s propensity to stay busy, I like the value in the underdog here.
Pick: Gillian Robertson by decision
Jalin Turner vs. Kaue Fernandes – Lightweight
In what’s essentially boiled down to a pick’em fight at this point, Turner and Fernandes make for an intriguing viewing experience, and a headache to bet on. Turner is a good 6 inches taller than his opponent, and has a 4 inch reach advantage as well. As a result, 73% of the bets and 71% of the handle are currently on the American.
But for anyone whose watched Fernandes deploy his lethal leg kicks before can attest to, there’s absolutely a world in which Turner gets his legs chopped down to size and Fernandes takes control of the fight from there. All of Turner’s wins have come via stoppage, while 2 of Fernandes last 3 wins have come via 1st round KO as well.
The smart money here is likely on the fight ending early rather than an outright pick. A -1.5 round bet seems like a safer outcome than choosing a side if you aren’t heavily invested in either fighter. Nevertheless, I think Fernandes proves elusive enough to keep the larger fighter in Turner at bay, and steadily chops him down to size with a barrage of leg kicks before finishing him.
Prediction: Fernandes by round 1 TKO
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus – Middleweight
The previously unbeaten Abdul-Malik got a bit of a reality check in his most recent trip inside the octagon in March, losing by KO to Yousri Belgaroui. But that shouldn’t take too much shine off the up and comer’s future as he still possesses a dangerous skillset and should look to get back on track against Dustin Stoltzfus on Saturday.
The 28 year old is coming in as a heavy favourite against Stoltzfus and it’s not hard to see why. This could be the 34 year’s final shot in the UFC at this point as another loss could see him parting ways with the promotion. Currently riding a two fight losing streak, and sporting a 3-7 record since 2020, Stoltzfus is certainly on the back 9 of his career at this point, and frankly the clubhouse might be in sight.
A loss by Adbul-Malik would raise some questions about the ceiling on his future. But coming off his first professional loss he should be motivated to stop this one early.
Prediction: Abdul-Malik by round 2 KO
Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics – Lightweight
If you’re thinking to yourself “wait is that the same Edson Barboza I think it is?” the answer is yes. Now 40 years old, and 16 years removed from his UFC debut back in 2010, Barboza could be putting on his swan song on Saturday night.
Those who have followed Ribovics since his debut on Dana White’s Contender Series back in 2022 can attest to his frustrating display at the UFC level to date. He has the build and the skillset to become a force at lightweight, but is inconsistent at putting it all together in the ring.
This was evident in his UFC debut loss to Loik Radzhabov, before he righted the ship and strung together 3 straight wins. But he’s now lost 2 of his last 3 fights albeit his most recent defeat against Mateusz Gamrot was against a highly skilled opponent. Nevertheless, let’s call this what it is, Ribovics should walk down Barboza and send him out in a blaze of glory.
It would be great to see the longtime UFC veteran survive a couple of exchanges, but with 12 of his 15 wins coming via stoppage, and 7 of those coming in the first round, this shouldn’t be a hotly contested bout between “El Gringo” and the man 10 years his senior.
Prediction: Ribovics by round 1 KO
Other Bouts:
- Chidi Njokuani vs. Joel Alvarez – Alvarez by round 1 submission
- Charles Johnson vs. Eduardo Henrique – Johnson by decision
- Donte Johnson vs. Eric McConico – Johnson by round 1 KO
- Vincente Luque vs. Tresean Gore – Luque by decision
- Rafael Tobias vs. Lucas Fernando – Tobias by round 2 submission
- Neil Magny vs. Ramiz Brahimaj – Brahimaj by round 2 submission
- Jeremiah Wells vs. Myktybek Orolbai – Orolbai by round 1 KO
Photo: UFC.com
-Brandon Odam