Pakistan, Aug. 17 -- Russia's Islam Makhachev used his dominant grappling to earn a unanimous decision win over Ian Machado Garry to retain his UFC welterweight title in a tight, tense five-round battle in the main event of UFC 330 in Philadelphia in the early hours of Sunday.

The 28-year-old Irish challenger provided plenty of problems for the champion, but Makhachev's limpet-like wrestling saw him safely through as he set a new UFC record of 17 victories in a row in the promotion.

At a considerable disadvantage in terms of height and reach, Makhachev brought the fight to the mat early in the first round with a lightning-quick single-leg takedown, but Garry remained calm as he worked his way back to his feet without suffering any damag...