UFC 330 Betting Guide: Best Bets for Makhachev vs. Machado Garry

For the first time since 2019, the Octagon lands in the City of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia will play host to UFC 330, highlighted by two championship encounters.

In the main event, the UFC welterweight championship will be on the line in a battle of one-loss fighters, as Islam Makhachev defends the title against Ian Machado Garry.

This will be Makhachev’s first defense since becoming UFC welterweight champion with a win over Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322. He previously held the UFC lightweight title, winning that gold at UFC 280 and successfully defending it four times.

Garry earned tonight’s title opportunity off a pair of wins in 2025, defeating Carlos Prates and former welterweight champion Belal Muhammad.

The co-main event will see the women’s strawweight title at stake when Mackenzie Dern defends against Gillian Robertson.

This marks Dern’s first defense since defeating Virna Jandiroba for the then-vacant title at UFC 321. Robertson comes into tonight’s title bout on a five-fight win streak, most recently defeating Amanda Lemos in March.

The rest of the UFC 330 main card will see Jalin Turner vs. Kaue Fernandes, Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Dustin Stoltzfus, and Edson Barboza vs. Esteban Ribovics.

ISLAM MAKHACHEV VS IAN MACHADO GARRY

This bout is all going to be about pressure vs. distance management. Makhachev’s striking shouldn’t be underrated just because of his background; however, his grappling and wrestling are still his bread and butter. More importantly here, Makhachev can pressure, and he’ll need to make smart use of that against Garry. The Irish-born challenger has the physical advantage – five inches taller than the champion and holding a four-inch reach edge.

Garry has shown an ability to land some of his solid kickboxing. He needs to be able to use that to dictate how the fight goes. Then, when Makhachev tries to come in, he needs to counterstrike to punish the champion. Makhachev, meanwhile, needs to be able to work combinations and use those to gain pressure and control. And all he needs to do is get Garry to the fence and/or the ground once; once that happens, it might be hard for Garry to deal with Makhachev's relentless chain wrestling and control – especially if the fight goes a full 25 minutes.

BET: Makhachev -9.5 (Caesars: +120)

MANSUR ABDUL-MALIK VS DUSTIN STOLTZFUS

Abdul-Malik is one of those fighters the UFC is dreaming big for. He’s got some devastating power, especially with his ground-and-pound, and he’s looked pretty impressive since earning a UFC contract. Heck, even before then, he was racking up first-round finishes like cordwood. But he does need a rebound performance after getting finished by Yousri Belgaroui (and that’s not a knock; Belgaroui was an accomplished kickboxer before entering the UFC).

Stoltzfus is another experienced veteran to test Abdul-Malik. If he can weather the early storm of power and takedown attempts, he may be able to handle a gassed opponent. Easier said than done, however, even with Stoltzfus’ grit.

BET: Abdul-Malik to win in rounds 1 or 2 (DraftKings: -115)

EDSON BARBOZA VS ESTEBAN RIBOVICS

One of the more noteworthy and entertaining veterans of the Octagon may be making the final Octagon walk tonight. Barboza has always been one who can take a punch and prepare for war, especially with the nasty kicks he brings. But he’s taking on a young and hungry fighter in Ribovics, who seeks to add a big name to his win resume.

Barboza can be an action-packed fighter, but we’ve seen his chin fail him on occasion – and he doesn’t want to go out on a four-straight losing streak. He needs to use his range to his advantage, circle the cage, land kicks to the body and legs, and find openings to come in for his attacks. The younger Ribovics, meanwhile, should look to cut off the cage and bring pressure – the same we saw in his Fight of the Year with Daniel Zellhuber. He may even find a finish in this case.

BET: Ribovics to win via KO/TKO (FanDuel: -165)

BONUS: NEIL MAGNY VS RAMIZ BRAHIMAJ

Didn’t want the prelims left out. And in some ways, this feels like a merge of two others. It’s another matchup featuring a longtime veteran of the sport taking on an up-and-comer, and it involves distance management vs. pressure and blitzing. Magny’s 80-inch reach helps to keep his opponents at bay while striking – assisted by strong cardio. Brahimaj shows his potential with his 100 percent finish rate. He’s decent with his striking, but his speciality is submissions.

He needs to get inside by working around Magny’s reach. That’s what this fight comes down to – as well as the cardio capabilities of both. There’s a good chance we won’t need the final horn with this one.

BET: Magny vs. Brahimaj to go UNDER 2.5 rounds (Caesars: -141)