Another combat sports weekend is in the books, and this one gave Fight Week plenty to sort through.
Islam Makhachev made UFC history, Claressa Shields reminded everyone why she remains one of boxing’s elite, Mackenzie Dern strengthened her grip on the UFC strawweight division, and several fighters saw their momentum take a serious hit.
Here are Fight Week’s Weekend Winners & Losers for August 15–16.
WINNER: Islam Makhachev
It wasn’t necessarily Makhachev’s most spectacular performance, but it may prove to be one of the most important wins of his career.
Makhachev defeated Ian Machado Garry by unanimous decision at UFC 330 in Philadelphia, winning by scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47 to retain the UFC welterweight championship. More importantly, the victory gave Makhachev 17 consecutive UFC wins — a new promotional record.
Garry made him work for it. The challenger had success with his range, kicks and takedown defense, particularly as the fight progressed. But when Makhachev needed control, his wrestling and positional game remained the difference.
Fight Week Verdict: Makhachev didn’t need a highlight-reel finish. He needed a win, and he walked away with the belt and a piece of UFC history.
WINNER: Claressa Shields
Claressa Shields continues collecting championships.
Dropping back down to middleweight, Shields overwhelmed Kaye Scott before stopping her at 1:38 of the sixth round in Atlanta. The victory gave Shields the WBA and WBC middleweight titles and improved her professional record to 19-0 with four knockouts.
What made the performance even more impressive was the move in weight. Shields said she began camp around 198 pounds before making the 160-pound middleweight limit. Once the bell rang, the weight cut didn’t appear to slow her down.
Shields steadily increased the pressure before dropping Scott in the sixth and forcing Scott’s corner to stop the fight.
Fight Week Verdict: Shields didn’t just win another championship. She looked powerful doing it. A showdown with Lauren Price remains one of the most intriguing fights available in women’s boxing.
WINNER: Mackenzie Dern
Mackenzie Dern’s first defense of the UFC strawweight championship was a success.
Dern defeated dangerous submission specialist Gillian Robertson by unanimous decision, with scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
Perhaps the most encouraging part for Dern was that she didn’t have to rely entirely on her world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu. She showed a more complete game and handled Robertson over five rounds.
Winning a UFC championship changes how a fighter is viewed. Successfully defending it is when a real championship reign begins.
Fight Week Verdict: Dern’s stock continues to climb. Now the question becomes how long she can hold onto the belt — and whether an even bigger fight is next.
WINNER: Jalin Turner
If you wanted a statement win at UFC 330, Jalin Turner delivered one.
Turner needed only 39 seconds to knock out Kaue Fernandes in the first round.
There wasn’t much time for analysis. Turner came in, landed, and ended the fight.
In a sport where momentum can change in one performance, a sub-one-minute knockout on a major UFC card is exactly the kind of result that gets people talking.
Fight Week Verdict: One of the weekend’s biggest stock risers.
WINNER: Esteban Ribovics
Esteban Ribovics picked up one of the most recognizable names on his résumé by stopping longtime UFC veteran Edson Barboza.
Ribovics scored the TKO at 1:32 of the second round, giving him an impressive victory over one of the most respected action fighters of his generation.
For Ribovics, this was more than another victory. Beating an established veteran like Barboza can be the type of result that leads directly to bigger names and bigger opportunities.
Fight Week Verdict: Expect a step up in competition next.
LOSER: Gillian Robertson
Robertson entered UFC 330 riding a five-fight winning streak and with an opportunity to leave Philadelphia as UFC champion. Instead, Dern halted that momentum with a five-round decision.
Robertson remains a dangerous fighter, particularly on the ground, but championship opportunities are difficult to earn. Losing when the belt is on the line inevitably means a climb back through the division.
Fight Week Verdict: A tough setback, but Robertson remains relevant in the strawweight picture.
LOSER: Kaye Scott
There is no shame in losing to Claressa Shields.
But there is also no way around what happened Saturday night.
Scott entered as the WBA and WBC middleweight champion and left without the belts after Shields steadily broke her down and forced the sixth-round stoppage. Scott fell to 5-2-1, while Shields once again took control of the division.
Scott showed toughness, but the difference in professional experience, speed and overall skill became increasingly obvious as the fight progressed.
Fight Week Verdict: Scott lost the titles, but losing them to one of the best women’s fighters ever shouldn’t define her career.
LOSER: Kaue Fernandes
Sometimes a loss is competitive. Sometimes you simply don’t get the opportunity to show what you can do.
Fernandes’ UFC 330 appearance lasted just 39 seconds before Jalin Turner knocked him out.
The good news is that one quick knockout loss doesn’t necessarily tell us much about Fernandes’ long-term ceiling. The bad news is that highlight-reel finishes tend to follow fighters around.
Fight Week Verdict: Forget it, regroup and get back in the cage.
LOSER ON PAPER, WINNER IN STOCK: Ian Machado Garry
Ian Machado Garry officially belongs on the losers’ side of the ledger.
But his performance may ultimately help his reputation.
Garry pushed Makhachev through five competitive rounds, found success during the middle portion of the fight and forced the champion to rely heavily on his grappling to secure the decision. Reuters described the fight as a tight five-round battle in which Garry created significant problems for the champion.
He didn’t win the championship, but Garry showed that he can compete with arguably the toughest opponent available at 170 pounds.
That’s not the type of loss that sends a contender back to the drawing board.
Fight Week Verdict: Officially a loser. From a career-stock standpoint? Not really.
A Final Salute to Edson Barboza
Calling Edson Barboza one of the weekend’s “losers” doesn’t feel right.
After Ribovics stopped him at UFC 330, the longtime UFC veteran announced his retirement from MMA.
Barboza spent years producing the type of violent, spectacular highlights that made fight fans stop whatever they were doing to watch.
The final result didn’t go his way, but his career deserves something more than a spot under the losers heading.
Fight Week Verdict: Respect to one of the most entertaining strikers of his generation.
Fight Week’s Biggest Winner of the Weekend
Islam Makhachev.
Claressa Shields may have delivered the more dominant performance, but breaking the UFC record with a 17th consecutive victory while defending the welterweight championship gives Makhachev our top spot this week.
Another weekend down.
Another set of fighters moving up, moving down — or leaving us wanting to see what comes next.
Check back every Monday for Fight Week’s Weekend Winners & Losers.
