It was one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Israel Adesanya, reigning UFC middleweight champion, lost his title to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 on Saturday night.
While many have praised Strickland’s gameplan going into the fight, one fighter, Irish welterweight Ian Machado Garry, believes it was failure on Adesanya’s part that led to a Strickland victory.
“I feel like Izzy lost the fight more than Sean Strickland won the fight. I feel like there was a certain point in that fight where Izzy was afraid to lose more than he wanted to win.
Ian Machado Garry Argues That Israel Adesanya “Lost The Fight More Than Sean Strickland Won The Fight” At UFC 293
That 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 you 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.”
Machado Garry continued, arguing against the idea that Strickland is some kind of nouveau-elite striker. “The truth is when you watch the fight back, what did Sean do that was elite?
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.
I feel like if Izzy had the output that he usually does or the efficiency that he usually does [he would have won]. 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.”
Garry is a fast-rising star in the UFC thanks to his own prodigious striking ability. Garry often claims that his striking is ultra-modern and lightyears ahead of anyone else in the division. This, perhaps, is what earned the Irishman his nickname, “The Future.”
Although Machado Garry fights in the 170-pound welterweight division, fifteen pounds below the 185-pound middleweight limit, he believes that he could have taken Adesanya that night, too.
“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. 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 [had] a will and a want to win.”
