MMA fighter Ian Machado Garry has criticised Sean Strickland‘s performance in his middleweight title win against Israel Adesanya at UFC 293, declaring that while Strickland’s win may be credited to Adesanya’s surprisingly poor performance, he doesn’t believe Strickland could repeat his success in a rematch.
Count Ian Machado Garry among those not convinced by Sean Strickland’s performance against Israel Adesanya to win the middleweight title at UFC 293. Despite Strickland’s near knockout finish in the opening round and a somewhat unidirectional decision with unanimous scorecards of 49-46, Machado Garry remains unimpressed. Instead, he ascribes the outcome of the five-round bout to Adesanya’s conceived departure from his typical precision and devastating striking that has delivered him eight title wins over his UFC career.
Machado Garry expressed that, in his opinion, Adesanya lost the fight more than Strickland won it. He believes Adesanya’s fear of losing overtook his desire to win during the match. Observing that Adesanya’s efficiency, output, and shot selection were not as elite as they usually are, Machado Garry suggests this gave Strickland the chance for success with his constant pressure and distinctive style. However, he opines that if the fight was to be replayed, the result would not reflect a victory for Strickland. Nevertheless, he points out, it was Strickland who emerged as the winner.
As he further shares his thoughts, Machado Garry states there was nothing exceptional about Strickland’s performance. On the contrary, according to him, Adesanya just failed to make decisive moves, which consequently allowed Strickland to implement his game plan. He maintains that Strickland’s simple and constant pressure, devoid of any wrestling elements or kicks, was not indicative of an elite performance. Dana White, the UFC president was also found scratching his head over Adesanya’s performance, which looked as if he was in “slow motion” throughout all five rounds against Strickland.
Having an interest in exploring fights in the middleweight division in the future, Machado Garry has already begun strategizing a potential face-off against Strickland. This partly explains why he strongly supports Adesanya in a rematch, viewing the previous Saturday night’s outcome as more of a fluke than a typical expectation. He confidently professes that he would have picked Strickland apart, especially with his understanding of Adesanya’s strategy – output, efficiency, and shot selection. In conclusion, he feels that whatever the circumstances were, Adesanya seemed more afraid of losing.