Ian Machado Garry shares his thoughts on the UFC 293 main event: “What did Sean Strickland do that was elite?”

By Harry Kettle - September 12, 2023

UFC fighter Ian Machado Garry wasn’t overly impressed with the nature of Sean Strickland’s win over Israel Adesanya at UFC 293.

Sean Strickland and Israel Adesanya UFC 293

Last weekend at UFC 293, Sean Strickland put on a show. He defeated Israel Adesanya via unanimous decision to capture the UFC middleweight championship. In doing so, he produced one of the biggest upsets in the history of mixed martial arts. It was the kind of win that sent shockwaves through the sport and, as you can imagine, there are plenty of opinions flying around.

Many have praised Strickland for what he was able to accomplish down under. Others, however, believe Adesanya lost the fight more than Sean won it.

RELATED: SEAN STRICKLAND WEIGHS IN ON ISRAEL ADESANYA’S PERFORMANCE AT UFC 293: “AM I FIGHTING AN AMATEUR RIGHT NOW?”

One of the people who has that theory is none other than rising star Ian Machado Garry.

Machado Garry questions Strickland’s win

“I feel like Izzy lost the fight more than Sean Strickland won the fight,” Machado Garry said. “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 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.”

“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.”

Quotes via MMA Fighting

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Topics:

Ian Garry Israel Adesanya Sean Strickland UFC