EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsIslam Makhachev now holds the record alone for the longest winning streak in UFC history, which automatically bumps him up among the greatest of all time. The one-time lightweight king defended his welterweight belt for the first time at UFC 330 on Saturday, defeating Ian Machado Garry handily. He isn't finishing opponents the way he did at lightweight, but his suffocating performances at welterweight are equally -- if not more -- impressive, especially considering his size disparity. His resume is quickly becoming undeniable.Mackenzie Dern was impressive too. She showed noticeable growth in her unanimous decision win over Gillian Robertson in the co-main event. She is putting it all together at the height of her career, but one big question stands in her way to the strawweight mountaintop: Can she beat Zhang Weili?Let's dive into those topics now that Makhachev and Dern have each successfully defended their UFC championships.Makhachev's welterweight resume will define his legacy more than lightweight, even if it's not as excitingWhen it's said and done, these are the fights that will bolster Makhachev's case as the greatest fighter of all time, if that is indeed where he's headed. He still has a lot of work to do to challenge Jon Jones's moniker, but I don't believe he would need as many title wins as Jones (16) to make his case. The difficulty of Makhachev's path makes up for fewer title wins. He is not a prototypical welterweight. He would be perfect for a 165-pound division, but as it is now, he noticeably depletes himself to make 155, and is noticeably small at 170.Through two appearances at welterweight, Makhachev has shown he can still rely on his wrestling to win championship-level fights, but man, it's a challenge. These young, confident welterweight contenders know his takedown attempts are coming, and they are technically, mentally and physically prepared to defend them -- or at the very least, force Makhachev to work extremely hard to get them. Even in his dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena in November 2025 to win the belt, the differences in grappling lightweights vs. welterweights were visible.Because of that, Makhachev likely won't be as dominant at this weight class -- or at least, it'll be a different type of dominance. He recorded finishes in eight of his final nine appearances at 155 pounds. So far, he's 0-2 on finishes at welterweight. There's a good chance that's the new normal, and hopefully casual sports fans won't hold it against him, because keeping welterweights at bay is more impressive and does more for his all-time rsum than his finishes at lightweight ever did.Dern is still getting noticeably better, enough to make a fight against Zhang interestingIt's worth pointing out how much better Dern is getting fight after fight. That's somewhat unusual, right? Sure, UFC champions tend to get incrementally better even when they've reached the top, but not as much as Dern. She's now had 17 fights in the UFC, so it doesn't feel as if she should still be in this big "learning" phase of her career, but I believe she actually is. She has always had a winner's drive. I remember being impressed by that from her first UFC appearance in 2018. She has amazing jiu-jitsu and is athletic, but her experience, fight IQ and technique in MMA have never struck me as completely polished.We're seeing clear improvements to those aspects now. Her transitions are smoother. Her head movement, coordination and intent on the feet have matured. Her confidence has obviously grown. Credit her coach, Jason Parillo, who has innate ability to earnestly gel with his fighters. The fighter/coach relationships he had with BJ Penn, Michael Bisping, Tito Ortiz and Cris Cyborg say a lot about how Parillo has navigated many eras in this sport's history, and he's doing it again with Dern. Her team isn't just game-planning for opponents, it is making Dern a better version every time she fights.Here's the truth: I haven't seen a version of Mackenzie Dern yet who I think would beat Zhang. That's not a criticism; it just speaks to Zhang's dominance at strawweight. But that doesn't mean Dern can't eventually win that fight. A new version of her coming out all the time. The latest Dern may be one Zhang doesn't recognize.
