Jon Jones shares pick for UFC 330 headliner

Ahead of UFC 330 on August 15 in Philadelphia, heavyweight champion Jon Jones has offered his prediction for the welterweight title headliner featuring champion Islam Makhachev against challenger Ian Garry. Jones is backing Makhachev to successfully retain his title, citing the champion's elite wrestling pedigree as the decisive factor in what shapes up as a marquee matchup.

"I'm going with Islam because he has a wrestling background, and it's very hard to beat wrestlers," Jones told Sport24ru. "He may just be one of the greatest fighters in the world. Right now, it's me and maybe him." Jones's endorsement places Makhachev in rare company within the sport's all-time discussion, a significant compliment from one of MMA's most dominant champions.

Makhachev arrives at UFC 330 as one of the division's most accomplished recent titleholders. The 28-1 fighter previously held the lightweight crown, where he set the divisional record with four consecutive title defenses before ascending to welterweight. He claimed the 170-pound title last year with a dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena.

Garry, meanwhile, brings a 17-1 record with ten UFC victories to the encounter. The Irishman's sole setback came against fellow contender Shavkat Rakhmonov, but he has since rebounded impressively with consecutive wins over Belal Muhammad and Carlos Prates, establishing himself as a legitimate challenger to Makhachev's reign.