Shamelessly ducking TJ was, IMO, the nail in the coffin for MM because he lost a ton of credibility in the eyes of the fans and the organization. Ducking a tough challenge to fight an opponent no one cares about just so you can get an easy way to break a record goes against what MMA stands for, and I think MM's stock plummeted afterwards.
Now you have a guy in Cejudo who could have taken the easy way like MM did, but he chose to step up to the plate and give fans an interesting fight, and he wipes the floor with TJ in 30 seconds.
I wonder if MM is kicking himself and wishes he could have man'd up and taken the challenge. Fortune favours the bold!
