For a while, the mystery around Islam Makhachev‘s next opponent loomed as the welterweight division’s stacked lineup presented a multitude of challenges for him. But after a lot of speculation, the UFC pound-for-pound champion’s next opponent has finally been revealed. However, beyond the reigning 170 lbs champion’s anticipated return to the Octagon at UFC 330, Dana White has announced another title bout for the promotion’s return to Philadelphia after seven years.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday, the UFC CEO disclosed that Islam Makhachev would make his first welterweight title defense against Ian Garry in the main event of UFC 330 on August 15, set to take place at the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also revealed that strawweight champion Mackenzie Dern would put her title on the line against Gillian Robertson in the co-main event.

Makhachev vacated the lightweight title last year and ascended to the welterweight division in search of a bigger challenge. The 34-year-old hasn’t tasted defeat since 2015, and many thought the size difference at 170 lbs would pose a grave threat to his ongoing win streak. However, the Dagestan native put all those doubts to rest with a dominant 25-minute outing against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 in November last year to become the UFC’s 11th double champion. But that’s not all. With that win, Makhachev also tied Anderson Silva‘s long-reigning record of 16 straight victories.

On the flip side, Ian Garry has remained a top contender for the title for quite some time. Alongside him, fighters like Michael Morales and Carlos Prates also stayed in welterweight title contention due to their recent brilliance inside the Octagon. Still, the Irishman’s wins over top-ranked contenders like Prates and Belal Muhammad definitely strengthened his case for a championship opportunity. However, his brash persona and ongoing feud with Makhachev may have also helped him secure the title shot.

Also, their rivalry would bring a new chapter to the Russia vs Ireland rivalry that Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov began at UFC 229. However, the two current fighters do not share the same level of animosity that their respective compatriots did before them.

Meanwhile, Mackenzie Dern returns after an impressive performance in her rematch against Virna Jandiroba to win the title at UFC 321. It initially seemed like Zhang Weili would challenge for the belt after vacating it to fight Valentina Shevchenko in a flyweight bout at UFC 322. The UFC appears to have rewarded Gillian Robertson’s current five-fight winning streak with a title shot against Dern.

Now, as UFC 330 is already shaping up to be one of the most stacked cards of the year, the promotion’s return to Philadelphia brings much more than just the stellar title fights.

Other fights announced for Islam Makhachev’s return at UFC 330

At UFC 330, an exciting women’s flyweight bout between Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius has been scheduled for the main card. Blanchfield saw her winning streak snapped by Manon Fiorot back in 2024, but she made a stellar comeback with back-to-back wins over former champion Rose Namajunas and contender Tracy Cortez. Her opponent, Jasudavicius, also suffered a loss to Fiorot, yet she managed to bounce back against Karine Silva in her most recent outing in April.

Both fighters have been in flyweight title contention for a while, and the winner of this fight could directly challenge Valentina Shevchenko for the women’s 125 lbs strap. Other than that, UFC 330 will see Brazilian legend Edson Barboza return against Esteban Ribovics in a lightweight showdown on the prelims. The 40-year-old veteran is currently enduring a slump in his career, having lost three fights in a row. As such, the matchup against Ribovics carries much higher stakes for Barboza’s future in the promotion.

Lastly, another veteran of the sport, Vicente Luque, will make his comeback in Philadelphia against Tresean Gore in a middleweight clash. Last time out, the Brazilian defeated fellow veteran Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 327 at 185 lbs. Luque, who spent most of his career competing at 170 lbs, would likely prefer to keep the weight cutting to a minimum this time as he looks to spark a second surge in his career at middleweight.

With Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry set to headline UFC 330, it would not be a stretch to say that the Dagestan native would be a considerable favorite heading into the fight. However, this year has already seen two consecutive marquee events end in major upsets with the defeat of Khamzat Chimaev and Ilia Topuria. If things follow the new norm, it would not be surprising if Garry delivers another win in Philadelphia on August 15.