Prime Chael beats both UFC 263 main eventers

I think Izzy is the second best MW I’ve ever seen – maybe the best. But, I think the Chael Sonnen (PEDs and all) who spent 4.5 rounds beating up Anderson Silva beats Izzy and runs through Vitori.

Izzy is a better technical striker than Silva, IMO. But he lacks the one-strike finishing power Silva had. Silva also had a stronger clinch and a BJJ black belt. I don’t see how Izzy stops the gameplan that Chael executed against Silva.

The x-factor is that Izzy is more mentally tough than Chael, who had a habit of stealing defeat from the jaws of victory. Izzy’s sweeps, for example, aren’t bad. If he got one, we could see Chael fold a bit and get finished.

2 Likes

I would love to see nothing more than that, but I think Izzy’s TDD is a damn sight better than Silva’s ever was.

1 Like

You think so? I think they both had lights out TDD against the cage, and average TDD in space. I mean, Vitori got Izzy down in space.

What fights make you think Silva’s TDD is worse than Izzy’s? Who got him down? Weidman, Lutter, and Hendo?

I will say that at MW, Izzy is better at getting back to his feet than Silva.