Ian Machado Garry feels Israel Adesanya 'lost the fight more than Sean Strickland won the fight' at UFC 293

11/09/2023 22:19

Count Ian Machado Garry among those not sold that Sean Strickland put on a brilliant performance against Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title in the UFC 293 main event.

Despite earning a fairly one-sided decision with 49-46 scorecards across the board as well as a near knockout finish in the opening round, the Irish welterweight contends that Strickland didn't do anything that really impressed him. Instead, Machado Garry points to Adesanya's disappearing act over five rounds where he failed to execute his typical routine with precise and devastating striking that's helped him win eight title fights in his UFC career.

"I feel like Izzy lost the fight more than Sean Strickland won the fight," Machado Garry said on The MMA Hour. "I feel like there was a certain point in that fight where Izzy was afraid to lose more than he wanted to win. That is essentially meant that his efficiency, his output, his shot selection wasn't as elite as it normally is and it gave Sean Strickland the opportunity for his awkwardness to have success, his constant pressure to have success.

"I feel like if run that fight back, there's no way Sean Strickland gets his hand raised again. That's my opinion but at the end of the day, Sean Strickland got his hand raised and I can never shoot a man for reaching his dream."

When expanding on his thoughts about the fight, Machado Garry explained that nothing Strickland did was truly extraordinary. On the flipside, Adesanya just failed to pull the trigger over and over again, which then allowed Strickland to execute his game plan by marching forward and sticking a jab in his face for the better part of five rounds.

"The truth is when you watch the fight back, what did Sean do that was elite?" Machado Garry said. "He threw a jab and threw f*** all kicks. So there was no wrestling involved, there was no kicks involved. There was a couple of punches every now and again and just constant pressure."

Adesanya's puzzling performance even left UFC president Dana White scratching his head while saying that the now former middleweight champion looked like he was in "slow motion" throughout all five rounds against Strickland.

"I feel like if Izzy had the output that he usually does or the efficiency that he usually does [he would have won]," Machado Garry said.

"I can't knock Sean for having a part of that awkwardness and that lack of efficiency from Izzy. Obviously his awkwardness played into the fight but I just feel like Izzy wasn't picking the shots he normally would. I think if they run that back, Izzy dominates."

While he's currently competing at 170 pounds, Machado Garry has teased interest in potentially exploring fights at middleweight in the future so he's already broken down how he would approach a fight with Strickland.

That's at least part of the reason why he so heavily favors Adesanya in a rematch because Machado Garry believes what happened this past Saturday night with Strickland was more of an anomaly than what would normally happen if those two clashed again.

"I know there's no way on Earth that I wouldn't have gone in there and picked him apart and I know Izzy's brain," Machado Garry said. "I know the way it works.

"It's output, it's efficiency, and it's shot selection. I feel like whatever it was, I think Izzy was just afraid of losing more than he was a will and a want to win."