Fourteen years after Anderson Silva completed his legendary 16-fight winning streak, and 13 years after Chris Weidman finally stopped it, Islam Makhachev made the record his own. Draped in two UFC belts after defeating Ian Machado Garry, he wears the grin of a man who knows the record books have just required some heavy-handed editing. Garry made him work across five rounds, but Makhachev's unanimous-decision victory delivered his 17th consecutive UFC win. A record nobody had touched since Silva was still champion now belonged to Islam. That's what makes this photograph special. The belts represent championships across two divisions, but the smile represents something harder to win. Makhachev isn't chasing somebody else's greatness anymore. Future fighters are going to be chasing his for a long time.

August 15, 2026

UFC 330

Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania