Five burning questions heading into UFC 330

Let all the talk about Islam Makhachev trying to break Anderson Silva's record of 16 straight UFC wins reach a pitch this week, because that's what's being served up at UFC 330. Makhachev can make it 17 in a row if he beats Ian Machado Garry in Saturday night's main event in Philadelphia.

What's even more astounding? He can become just the fifth UFC fighter to defend titles in two weight classes. Only Amanda Nunes, Henry Cejudo, Daniel Cormier and Jones Jones have accomplished that feat — and the latter did it against the husk of Stipe Miocic.

Can Garry spoil things in Philly? And how much do we care about Mackenzie Dern's first title defense against Gillian Anderson?

It's time to ask the burning questions heading into UFC 330!

Islam Makhachev has won titles in two divisions, but is he one of the all-time greats yet? (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)Jeff Bottari via Getty ImagesIf Islam Makhachev wins his 17th straight UFC fight, should he be in the conversation for MMA GOAT?

Ben: He's got to be in the conversation, yeah. But for now it'll probably be somewhere on the outer edges of that conversation. It's not his fault. It's the dang ol' circumstances, Chuck.

Let us consider what Makhachev's recent body of work would look like with a victory at UFC 330. He'll have beaten Ian Machado Garry (currently not the top contender at welterweight), Jack Della Maddalena (a one-and-done welterweight champ), Renato Moicano (a replacement opponent in all the way over his head), Dustin Poirier (legit lightweight), Alexander Volkanovski twice (great featherweight who almost won the first one and had no business taking the second), and Charles Oliveira (great lightweight).

Are there some big wins on that list? Yeah, mostly at lightweight. Is it a murderer's row the likes of which we've never seen? I mean, no, I can't exactly call it that.

Again, it's not Makhachev's fault. He can only fight whom the UFC gives him, and he's been willing to fight absolutely anyone without ever seeming to care all that much who it is. He didn't force Arman Tsarukyan to pull out with a back injury, after all. But right now, knowing what we know, it feels like a great run without being a historic run.

That could change with time. It often does. The further we get from the glory days, the more glorious they become in our collective memory. But when I look at Makhachev right now, I don't get a Georges St-Pierre or Anderson Silva vibe. Do you?

Chuck: Not particularly, for the reasons you've stated here … and especially in terms of the gravitas of the two you're mentioning. Muhammad Ali might not have been the best boxer of all time, but history wants to remember him that way because his fights were seismic happenings and he prevailed on the biggest stages.

An Anderson Silva fight was an event, which ratcheted up the stakes and made every new challenge feel like a Jenga puzzle. You wondered what the world would feel like the morning after it toppled over. Silva and GSP meant so much to the sport itself, right during that MMA boom period, that their bull’s-eyes were visible from space. Everybody within a two-division radius dreamed of being the one to beat them.

Islam's run has been quiet by comparison, and if he were to lose — though it would be an upset — it wouldn't be seen as a historic event. For the reasons you've outlined, he hasn't enhanced the experience. I do think if he keeps beating the monsters at welterweight, starting with Garry, I may be changing my tune soon enough. Like, imagine if he beats Garry then takes out Michael Morales? At that point I am sure I'd be like, Silva Shmilva.

Ian Machado Garry has been consistently overlooked by fans, but this does seem to be the season of big upsets in the UFC. (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images)NurPhoto via Getty ImagesWhere would you rank an Ian Machado Garry upset of Islam next to Sean Strickland's upset of Khamzat Chimaev and Justin Gaethje's unlikely triumph over Ilia Topuria?

Chuck: I will say that because those other upsets occurred so recently the feeling that anything can happen does factor into this. Makhachev has been cruising along as the No. 1 pound-for-pound guy for a hot minute, and the way he manhandled Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322 only served to boost his stock.

However, Garry is a little different than JDM, Ben. I see him as more well-rounded, better in scrambles, and I don't think he'll be as easy to take (or hold) down. That wiry frame surges with energy, like a big, hissing wire. Plus, there's an opportunist at Garry's core, and I think he'll be looking for those moments to turn the tide should things get bumpy in the early going.

Because of this respect, I would rank a Garry upset over Islam third in this group for those reasons. I gave Gaethje little to no chance against Topuria and was somewhat shocked to see the way that played out. And though I knew Strickland would be a hard out for Chimaev, I thought ol’ "Borg" had a strict no-mercy rule when it came to his public thrashings, and it stung me to be that wrong.

Ben: I have no choice but to agree. Garry is, for one thing, not even that sizable of an underdog here. Oddsmakers seem to think he has a better shot than Poirier and Volkanovski did.

But you're right that the upset vibe is already in the air, which can't help but impact perception. In fact, the best reason to think Garry might win is because that sort of thing seems to be going around these days. It's just the type of thing that would happen in 2026.

Still, can you imagine the shakeup if Garry wakes up Sunday morning as champ? Can you picture the gnashing of teeth among certain elements of the MMA fanbase? A skinny, slightly goofy, plant-based champ who thinks women should run the world? That's a radical vibe shift for MMA right now.

What is Ian Machado Garry's path to victory?

Ben: Distance. Patience. Frustration.

The last part applies also to the fans. If Garry wins, I predict it will not be remembered as an epic night of mixed martial arts. He needs to shut down that aggressive Makhachev offense, which might mean remaining far away and hard to find. If he can make it so that not a ton of fighting happens for the first few rounds — and make sure that what conflict does take place is sporadic and at his insistence — maybe Makhachev gets frustrated and makes mistakes?

Chuck: Yeah, I feel like he needs to snipe from the outside and punish aggressive movements the best he can. If he can chop out Islam's legs in the early rounds, even better. But you've got to give the champ pause and, more importantly, doubt. If Garry shuts down a takedown attempt or two, and makes it hurt, this fight could get interesting.

But really, one of the big things for him is to make himself a hard-to-move object, and if he gets taken down, to get back up. Make the exercise the kind of toil that discourages repeating. When you say "frustration," I think that's a big one. Don't give anything too easily.

Headed into her first UFC title defense, Mackenzie Dern is still battling the perception that she's a placeholder champ. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP via Getty Images)GIUSEPPE CACACE via Getty ImagesIn terms of hype, is Mackenzie Dern's strawweight title defense with Gillian Robertson the most underwhelming title fight in UFC history? If not, what is?

Chuck: The one that comes to mind was Mayra Bueno Silva's title bid against Raquel Pennington, which was like plucking an anonymous mug from a police lineup and sticking her against a journeywoman who looks right at home in flannel. The one thing Dern has going for her is that she has been hyped to varying degrees throughout her career (dating back to her days prior to the UFC), and she shows up to events like a cruise-ship captain shows up at dinner.

I guess what makes this one seem a little, let's say, masqueradish, is that neither has faced (nor certainly defeated) Weili Zhang, who vacated the strawweight title in a quest to conquer a second division. Dern's title moment feels a little on borrowed time, Ben, which isn't fair for me to say at all, but … I can't help it. I like Robertson, too, but these are some tenants having a party while the landlord is away!

(By the way, Virna Jandiroba against Dern for the vacant title didn't exactly captivate, either, and nor did Joe Soto against T.J. Dillashaw back in the day, or anything to do with Germaine de Randamie, though her title fights were strictly hypothetical).

Ben: I feel bad for Dern. All she did was everything she could do. She showed up and fought hard every time, albeit with some mixed results along the way. She did the kind of self-marketing we're always telling fighters to do if they want to stand out. (Mark Zuckerberg noticed.) She seized the opportunity while the title was vacant and became a UFC champ. Yet we still act like she's not our real mom and therefore has no right to tell us to clean our rooms.

It doesn't help that Robertson is bringing zero hype of her own into this fight. She's got a five-fight winning streak but is in no danger of being mobbed by fans when she goes out for dinner at a nice restaurant. If they showed her in the crowd at a UFC event the fans wouldn't know what to make of her until her name (hopefully the correct name) popped up on the screen.

So no, there's not a ton of excitement prior to the bell, as the great Jim Ross might say. I do think there's an opportunity for Dern and Robertson to create that hype for themselves with a great fight, though. And if they can't get to great, they could at least aim for exciting and interesting. Then we might be feeling differently about one or both of them come Sunday.

Where would you rank UFC 330 among the numbered cards in the Paramount+ era?

Ben: Regular viewers of "The Craic" know that I am much more forgiving of overall UFC card quality now that everything is available for one low, low monthly subscription price. What's it cost, like nine bucks a month? I pay more in monthly fees just so my daughter can listen to rain sounds on the Alexa in her room without disturbing my need to simultaneously blast Bruce Springsteen in the kitchen.

This one is top-heavy, no doubt about it. "Two title fights" sound nice for the posters, but we all know it's the main event carrying the load. Outside of the top two bouts, I don't see any ranked fighters anywhere on this thing. It's basically a boxing card, in that sense.

The inclusion of Makhachev alone, as one of the best fighters on the planet today, might be enough to put this one ahead of UFC 326, which delivered the most forgettable BMF title fight since the creation of that honorary belt. If the supporting cast overdelivers, maybe that would also nudge this one ahead of UFC 325, which was headlined by the completely unnecessary rematch between Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.

But as a whole? Feels a little like the UFC matchmakers mailed it in on the undercard. Still a good deal if I can watch "South Park" between fights, though.

Chuck: Not a bad game plan! I was buying into UFC 330 being decent enough when Erin Blanchfield and Jasmine Jasudavicius were on the card, a bang-for-the-buck fight between contenders, but things really do drop off pretty heavily as it’s currently constructed. I mean, it's never a good sign when you hear that Michael Morales might act as the backup fighter for the main event and get a little pang of hope that somehow he finds his way in.z

Maybe we'll be pleasantly surprised, Ben, but if I'm being honest, this card … on paper … is pretty bad. I'd say it's the worst numbered card of the Paramount+ era, with the caveat that the era is very young!