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After seven years, the Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to Philadelphia on Saturday with two world title fights, as well as a hometown talent getting a big finish on the big stage.

Philly fighter gets big finish in same arena he once worked at

UFC 330 became the highest-grossing event in Xfinity Mobile Arena history, selling out the venue with 19,238 people in attendance and earning a gate of around $6.7 million.

Kicking off the evening was Philadelphia native Jeremiah Wells facing off against Kyrgyz fighter Myktybek Orolbai. Wells was a massive underdog.

After finding himself on the mat with some grappling exchanges for the first two rounds, Wells shocked the entire audience after he submitted Orolbai in the middle of the octagon in the third round.

“I do that move with my eyes closed in the gym,” Wells said after his win. “I caught everyone with that.”

When interviewed by podcaster and commentator Joe Rogan after the fight, Wells said seven years ago, he was working at the former Wells Fargo Center when the UFC had its last event in Philly. During his shift, he ended up meeting with one of the matchmakers.

“I said one day, I’m going to be here. I’m going to fight here,” Wells said. “And look, I’m here.”

Despite earning a “Performance of the Night” bonus, Wells said this might be the last time anyone sees him compete in the octagon. With one glove off, he had one request for the UFC: Give him a top-15 opponent or that’s it.

“This sport, I love it,” Wells said. “I’ve been doing it for 16 years, but this is my hometown. If the UFC want[s] me to go far and put me in the [top] 15, then I’ll stay. But if I don’t, I think I’m going to be done.”

If this were his final fight, Wells can go out with his head held high. In a separate post-fight interview, Wells discussed how much the win meant to him.

“I just set the stage for all of the kids that’s coming up in Philly, all of the kids that’s in my gym,” Wells said. “They just fought last night and they won, and I fought and I won. Our team is on fire right now. This is our year.”

Wells’ record now stands at 14 wins, four losses and one draw.

Champions retain their titles, one gets closer to GOAT status

In the main event, UFC Welterweight Champion and former Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev defended his belt against No. 1-ranked contender Ian Machado Garry via unanimous decision.

Furthermore, Makhachev broke the all-time record for consecutive wins with his 17th-straight victory in the UFC.

The co-main event saw women’s Strawweight Champion Mackenzie Dern win via unanimous decision over No. 5-ranked contender Gillian Robertson.

Elsewhere on the card, Lancaster native Dustin Stoltzfus won via submission in the second round over Mansur Abdul-Malik. In a catchweight bout, Charles Johnson won with a “Scottish twister” submission, which was only the fifth twister finish in UFC history.

After losing via technical knockout, UFC veteran Edson Barboza retired after 39 fights, one of which was the main event card he fought in Philadelphia in 2019. At 40 years old, Barboza was the oldest fighter at Saturday’s event.

The UFC last came to the Philadelphia region in March 2024. The mixed martial arts promotion sold out Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City with 12,198 people in attendance, and earned more than $2 million.