Sukuna explains how Mahoraga’s adaptability works. It depends on the amount of time that passes after the Shikigami receives the attack. He wants Shikigami to be an “immersive mode” that travels through Gojo’s Infinity. Instead of attacking Gojo directly, Mahoraga aimed at the space around him.
So Gojo’s Infinity doesn’t matter as long as he’s present in space where Mahoraga can literally cut through anything. As a result, Gojo was cut in half along with that space. Therefore, the victory crown was immediately awarded to Sukuna.
Conspiracies in the war of the strongest
Gojo’s arrogance and confidence stem from his unparalleled strength. In chapter 3, Yuji asks Gojo if he can win against Sukuna. Gojo says that if the Cursed King had the power of all 20 fingers, the battle would be challenging but he would win in the end.
Just before the battle, Gojo declared victory. The strange thing is that Sukuna only has the strength of 19 fingers, while Gojo’s abilities are amplified by 120% thanks to Utahime’s cursed technique. Additionally, during a conversation with Geto, Gojo states that Sukuna is too strong and does not need Megumi’s power to defeat him.
The strongest mage alive even felt sorry for the Cursed King, who didn’t get a chance to show off his true power – meaning Sukuna had to hold back while Gojo went all out. But throughout the entire battle, Sukuna only relied on Mahoraga’s abilities and thanks to that he gained the upper hand.
The first round was a battle of territory, where Sukuna lost miserably. So Mahoraga was his final trump card – or at least that’s what Gege intended to show. So the question is why does Gojo think he can’t compare to Sukuna?