Olivera isn’t a chicken either. He has had all hard fights and the man wanted to fight McNugget for big bucks.
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WTF was Strickland thinking?
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Maybe Izzy should show us a fight then?
100 percent Izzy has never ducked anyone and always looks for the hardest fights. He has beaten all of them but Jan. Even if you think he’s boring or cocky, or both, he faces the best guys available.
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He just defended his title for the fifth time
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Izzy is not just gonna stand there in front of Pereira like Strickland did with his chin sticking way out like that. Even though this was a boring fight with Cannon, Izzy still showed there’s levels to this shit. Still think Cannon had the takedown every time he clinched and he could’ve literally dumped Izzy on his head but he didn’t…
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There is still one thing about Izzy fights that few people have wrapped their head around
Izzy gets better with every fight, but he doesn’t change his game that much between opponents. His game plans are similar. Sometimes he’s a little aggressive and other times he’s a little less so, but there really aren’t any drastic differences between any of his performances.
But if you look at his opponents, they all fight differently when they fight Izzy. Romero did very little against Israel. Costa was a completely different fighter the night he faced Adesanya and has looked way better before AND after he fought Izzy. Whittaker had never really fought the way he did against Israel in their second fight. Jared has showed flashes of freezing in the cage and low activity, but nothing like the performance we saw from him last night.
The only fighters that have really brought the fight to Adesanya are Whittaker (the first time), Kelvin, and Vettori (even his output slowed quite a bit). Jan kind of fought the way he always does, maybe a little more tactical and less aggressive.
So yes, there are fights where Izzy is more strategic and less aggressive like the Yoel fight. There are other fights like Costa and Whittaker I where he fucked them up badly and KO’d them. But even against Whittaker, Rob was the one initiating the exchanges, and Izzy found the openings and got the KO. So all of Izzy’s performances have been pretty similar, it’s more about his opponent and what they do.
So if anything, Izzy has always fought this way in MMA, and hasn’t really changed his style. It’s his opponents that come into the cage as completely different fighters when they face Izzy, and he responds accordingly as a counter striker. So again, I don’t know why everyone blames Izzy for these “boring” fights. I definitely wish he was more aggressive and picked up the pace to look for a finish, but that’s not in his style, he’s going to wait for his opponent to make a critical mistake to land the big shot. And most of the time they don’t because they are afraid to throw anything at all. His opponents are to blame just as much as him, probably even more so, because most of them are exciting fighters until they step in there with him and Izzy has never been known to have a fan favorite style .
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So people can say what they want about Izzy, and I did find last night’s fight to be boring, but he has always fought this way. Mostly everyone fights scared against him and Izzy isn’t, he’s just playing his own game.
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Wait… but Izzy knocked out Rob in their first fight and in the second fight he barely won.
If anything he’s looked worse in his recent fights and become more of a point fighter.
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Izzy should just have more fun inside cage
I’m an Izzy (the fighter) fan but for one of the best and one who wants to be one of the greats, he should have the adaptability to try diff things when Cannonier wasn’t letting him do the follow ups or whatever.
Yes as a champ u don’t take unnecessary risks but he said he also wants to be one of the memorable moments guy before the fight…fuck the belt, and all that.
He could have done a bit more and I expected him to have some other angles to try to put it on more.
Yes he’s still one of the best strikers still…
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He played it safe and did enough to win over guys he should be demolishing
(Marvin, Robert again, Jared)
He’s levels above these guys but doesn’t take any chances
He’s the new Jones
Whittaker is a level above those others.
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Izzy isn’t the same since the first fight with Rob. He’s tentative and hesitant to throw his hands now for some reason. Doesn’t take any chances at all
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The first Rob fight was exactly what he wants - guys coming at him hard, just like Anderson liked. He took apart Costa let’s not forget but Vettori also came at him and couldn’t do that much.
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Well if your opponent is unwilling to engage you gotta engage then and press the action
Anderson finished more fights than not. Izzy is becoming the Jon Fitch/GSP of striking
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Give Bo Nickal 2 more years and he will be the next UFC 185 lbs champ
Yes I agree he has to do more to be the great that he wants to be.
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I disagree. In their first fight, Rob was recklessly lunging into Izzy’s range with his hands down and was countered many times. Izzy never really had to be the aggressor because Whittaker did all the work, Izzy just had to find that perfect shot and he did.
In their second fight Rob was much more reserved and didn’t really put a pace or volume on Izzy at all, and Izzy responded by staying out the outside and out striking him. It’s not worse, it’s just different. It’s all dependent on what his opponent gives him.
Well I think his idea of “fun” and ours (as fans) is just different. He likes to pick people apart because as he methodically takes each weapon away, he can see the will sapping out of them, until they have nothing left to throw and are just standing there. He’s an artist and he enjoys that, displaying superior skill and showing he’s the better striker. Which is true, he does prove that, but at times he allows his opponent to keep the fight close when it shouldn’t be, and waits for a perfect opportunity that never comes.