I’ve never seen anything in Rob’s game that makes me think he can control Izzy with his grappling.
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Izzy is an elite striker. Dude was 75-5 as a kickboxer.
It’s on of the main reasons that he is so effective in the cage along with his height & reach.
Who has better striking credentials than Izzy?
I understand the Strickland comment because Izzy would definitely eat him up.
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A great boxer with a gas tank, a great chin and wrestling in his back pocket is definitely a great style to beat Izzy. Kelvin has been his biggest test and a rematch would be compelling, but Gastelum just hasn’t looked the same. The problem is that on top of all those skills, this anti-Izzy prototype has to be elite, and has to be able to match him in terms of the way they use their skills and attributes. For example: in terms of striking, Kelvin uses his as good as anyone else in the division (at his best). He uses a pressure-based style and technical boxing to make up for his lack of height, speed to make up for his lack of size, and power instead of strength. Against Izzy he used those skills and the ability to cover distance combined with his willingness to take risk, and gave him a hell of a fight.
It remains to be seen whether or not Kelvin will ever look that good again. Strickland is obviously highly skilled, but at this point in time he is unrefined. There is nobody else in the top 15 that I believe even threatens Israel right now. Canonier looked great but I’m not sure how big of a threat he is. Whittaker had the best chance. The problem is that he is great at a lot of the same things Izzy is, just not as skilled.
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I cant stand Israel
But hes very good
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Strickland’s boxing is extremely precise. Opposite of sloppy if you are actually watching and paying attention.
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I don’t think he’s sloppy, either.
He reminds me of the Diaz brothers. Great cardio, continuous pressure, uses the jab very well and doesn’t waste energy on big punches. High volume guy.
I don’t know if he is as tough as them when it comes to their respective weight classes but he’s a problem for most middles.
Very good fighter.
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whittaker made him look outstanding by fighting a dumb fight, as good as rob is he has often abandoned his jab and leapt into exchanges, he has the skills to barely be touched but his temperament has him getting into ill timed and poorly setup exchanges
if he fights clean he can win, but he hasnt fought a clean fight strategically in a min; esp versus a guy who can be a little hard to hit or time like adesanya
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Today’s Gastelum gets finished in 3 rounds by yzzy
We going to ignore that Blachowicz isnt a elite striker or is he ?
If you dont try to jump on izzy he spams leg kicks, and his lanky bodie with fast hands are good combination, but leaves hips outside, and does he have a jab?
And as above me mentioned whittaker was jumping into exchanges, thats literaly what izzy wants, bend with a left hook
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Sean is not sloppy, he is technical as fuck.
Whittaker has nothing for Israel. You’re smoking fucking crack. I don’t see anyone at 185 doing shit to a guy who survived fighting a killer giant like Blachowicz. Even with that loss, I see it as a positive for Izzy. Adesanya is basically untouchable at 185. Only guy I can see MAYBE giving him problems is Khamzat if he fills out his frame for 185 (assuming Covid didn’t do any damage)
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You only have to be good enough to beat what’s put in front of you, Izzy makes it look easy.
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I don’t. Izzy would just use footwork and pick him apart from the outside-in.
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I agree about Gastelum at this point. Blachowicz IS absolutely an elite striker and he proved that. He didn’t just overpower Israel, he used traps and intelligent striking to get that fight where he wanted it to be. That’s not what anyone expected from him.
Izzy has a great jab and in fact has a great 1-2. He generally uses the jab when he’s moving forward. When he’s countering he likes to use his check hook, crosses, knees, etc… he leans back a lot and that’s why his hips are more accessible. Jan was the only fighter to take advantage of that.
Whittaker did the smart thing by blitzing but there were no set ups involved. He was literally pouncing across distance throwing flurries. Israel is too smart for that and he will pick up on your patterns with ease, and find his counters. That’s exactly what he did. Whittaker should have the same approach but with an attitude of caution and opportunity. He needs his jab, and he needs pressure. But not wild, reckless pressure. Methodical and strategic. He needs more leg kicks to try to take away the footwork of Israel. His right high kick is a great weapon if he sets it up properly. He has a lot of tools he can use, he needs to be able to blend them all together and have a near perfect performance.
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Good post. Personally I think a really accomplished wrestler will have Israel’s number.
That is all Jan really did - take him down and control him.
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I know im in the huge minority here but I thought izzy vs vettori 2 should have been a draw
It’s not outside the realm of possibility. It was a dud fight from a fan point of view that’s for sure.
I disagree wholeheartedly but at this point who gives a shit because that fight sucked.
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