Henry Cejudo thinks Ian Machado Garry failed to maximize his moment at UFC 330, and it could cost him in the long run.
Machado Garry (17-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) suffered a unanimous decision loss to Islam Makhachev (29-1 MMA, 18-1 UFC) in this past Saturday's welterweight headliner, and afterward took the result in stride with nothing but class.
It was a continuation of what Machado Garry did all week leading up to the fight. He was incredibly praising of Makhachev prior to the contest, was "too respectful" in the cage – to the ire of UFC CEO Dana White, then promised to build himself back after falling short of gold.
Former two-division UFC champion Cejudo did not like that approach whatsoever, and said it's not going to do Machado Garry any favors as
he tries to get back to the top, which is no guarantee.
"After a performance like that, do you think the UFC's going to give an opportunity to fight for the title again?" Cejudo told MMA Junkie Radio. "In particular because he didn't really sell the fight and it was just too kumbaya and whatnot. It was ridiculous. How can these fighters – first of all, Dana White doesn't like that sh*t. You heard it from him. Those fighters looking to get attention and looking to get paid, you have to be able to sell the fights.
"Ian Garry just missed all the boxes. It was all about his kid and his wife and his wellbeing and how he's 28 years old and he still has time to become champion. It doesn't work like that, Ian. If I was to give you advice it would be like, 'Bro, the time is now.' People get better. You got a guy like Jacobe Smith coming up with real power in his hands. You give a wrestler like that a little more experience and everyone is in trouble. So it doesn't always work the way people think things happen."
While Machado Garry fumbled the moment, Cejudo said Makhachev did not. The reigning 170-pound king made history in becoming the first in UFC history to record 17 consecutive wins, setting him apart from Anderson Silva on the all-time list.
Although it was an iconic moment for Makhachev, it didn't put him No. 1 on Cejudo's greatest of all-time (GOAT) list. It just moved him up another spot.
"It's a little premature," Cejudo said. "To say 'the GOAT,' that's Jon Jones. I don't think unless he's going to go on a tear and fight for many years to come, which I don't think, but I would probably put him ahead of GSP. The only reason is I think GSP cherry-picked a little bit when he fought Michael Bisping for that title at 170 pounds."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Henry Cejudo: Ian Machado Garry 'missed all the boxes' in UFC 330 loss
