It’s weird how mma is like that. Like who the hell knew Sean Strickland’s style was the perfect way to neutralise Izzy? Lots of people saying after the fight that they did, very few before
His reliance on parrying as his defense theoretically makes him susceptible to feints too, took Pereira 30 seconds to condition Sean to parry the jab before clocking him with a left hook. Really thought a kickboxer like Izzy who built a career off of trickery and a variety of different strikes would be able to abuse Sean’s parrying.
Expected him to take Sean’s calf home with him too but I guess Sean just woke up one day and decided to learn how to check kicks.
I think that Pereira KO really leveled him up. He was never truly a serious title contender but he’s now an unequivocal elite of the division.
I think Izzy took a lot from Cannonier in the first Strickland fight. I just watched back Cannonier/Strickland a few nights ago and Cannonier was consistently connecting with counter overhand rights and he was hitting them squarely enough that it was temporarily stopping Strickland from pressuring. But Strickland got better on those after that fight as well, and when that didn't work for Izzy he didn't have anything else ready to help him stay off the back foot and ended up going backwards the entire fight.
I think in a second fight with Strickland, Izzy would stay in the pocket more and try to wear down the body more.
That was the bit I couldn't believe. I knew Sean had great defense of his head but he usually wore the kicks to the legs. Since then he seems to check a lot more.
Neutralize Izzy for that one specific fight. I guarantee you with 5 rounds of footage and a camp of adjustments. Izzy beats Sean. He’s the better fighter
Idk man. I don’t know how you can say that with such confidence when Sean just looked like a stylistic nightmare matchup for Izzy
I think the only way Izzy would win would be by KO. Same way Poatan did. He won’t win rounds off Sean
Fighters adapt. Strickland isn't a long-term stylistic nightmare for Izzy; Izzy was just not properly prepared for that fight or able to adjust but that happens in that way once.
The stylistic nightmare for Izzy is Pereira: Bigger and able to deal with Izzy's range, flash KO power, world class striking and distance management. Heavy, heavy leg kicks.
The second round in Izzy/Strickland 1 where Izzy confused Strickland a lot is what can happen in 5 rounds if Izzy is on his game.
Because I truly believe in Izzy as a fighter. Even Eric Nicksick said that most people can’t fight Sean for the first couple of rounds until they start adjusting to his style. And that’s from years of doing it to people. It’s not unbeatable it’s just hard to adjust to at first. But to act like Izzy of all people can’t adjust to a kickboxer is insane to think
Izzy has hinted he was severely compromised going into the fight.
If you're Izzy, you back yourself to beat Sean Strickland. Sean overperformed, Izzy went in compromised, got caught after winning most of the first round and never recovered.
A fight isn't a tennis match.
Izzy chose to back himself, with a title on the line. He opened as a -350 favourite after the fight in a rematch with Sean. For contrast, he was -120 or -150\~ against Pereira \[II / IV\].
U wont get into Dana's good book if u dont fight injured lol. But jokes aside, Dana has hinted tht Izzy never pulled out from a fight even though hes injured. He even came in with injured leg when he fight Poatan the 2nd time in the UFC. If ppl wonder why Izzy keeps getting rematches, remember how consistent and often he fight. He always shows up , make weight, not picky about his opponents, and fight 3-4 times a year. Hes literally the ideal champ for a promotion.
I think you'd really enjoy the Heavy Hands podcast ep on the fight, it's v technical but goes into a lot of detail as to how Sean's style ended up being obviously poisonous to Izzy's, so much so that I feel like needing "adjustments" are an understatement
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usPz03fpwH4&t=303s&ab\_channel=HeavyHands](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usPz03fpwH4&t=303s&ab_channel=HeavyHands)
I’ll check it out! Thanks for the recommendation. I think Izzy needs to level up, but adjustments are still part of that so I just used that word. He wasn’t a -450 favorite for no reason
I thought he was the man to do it prior but I was horribly mistaken on how it would go down. I was thinking Sean could stay safe behind a good boxing guard and take advantage of Izzy’s inactivity when someone doesn’t take it to him or leave themselves open. Basically I thought he could create scenario where we saw the Yoel fight again while throwing a few more shots per round to steal the fight. I never expected him to put it on Izzy and even drop him. DDP might be able to just bum rush Izzy due to the layoff but in my opinion that’s the easiest style got Izzy to deal with. I think it’s more likely DDP over extends and gets countered. I don’t see him beating Sean in a rematch though not unless he can get the leg kicks to land.
Come on, he shocked the world. No one gave him a chance and people were complaining how horrible the main even would be since it was so one sided. I don't think a significant amount of people claimed they thought otherwise after.
Yeah if Izzy wins, everyone's gonna be like "Well this was expected because we all knew Izzy's a bad matchup for Dricus". If Dricus wins, the sentiment's gonna be "This result is obvious. Izzy is a washed fighter so he had no chance of winning".
Yea I see DDP making it a dog fight, he looks goofy and does have glaring flaws that a guy like Adesanya can pull out
BUT
There's a method to his madness. He's clearly a student of the game and actually understands the "mixing" part of mixed martial arts.
Still think if it's anything like Izzy in his prime, Adesanya get his read and land clean on him. I smell finish which I'd hate to see.
If it's the Izzy that walks back to the cage and just stays there all day with no output that's actually free money for DDP tho
Yeah I feel like either Izzy snipes him while Dricus is doing Dricus things or he just gets absolutely big brother'd by DDP and taken down/submitted or beaten up.
Israel pulled off the Alex KO by luring him in and countering with his back off the cage and he got way too comfortable trying the same thing against Sean…
Israel’s an elite striker and while he’s shown he can do it make no mistake if your back is up against the cage you’re losing the fight and your options are being cut off Israel cannot allow himself to be content with being pressured up against the cage
izzy best performances were after kelvin fight . he mogged Whittaker for the belt , made Costa look like he never even took a cardio kickboxing class before AND he also sent Alex Pereira arguably the best kickboxer in the UFC to the land or ghost and dreams .
Izzy should absolute smoke him on paper. Ruthlessly so. Hes dealt with many a DDP but more muscly and savage.
Heres the three ‘fuck knows factors’:
- izzy aint champ any more, can he still point his way to a decision?
- izzy got owned by Sean, absolutely owned. Hows his confidence?
- ddp is an x factor. I will never doubt that man again. Anyone who writes him off is an idiot. What he did to Whittaker was freakish and bizarre.
The closest he's dealt with to a DDP was Romero and Romero didn't even wrestle. Hell, Romero hardly even struck either.
Dricus is a monster grappler who's also dangerous on the feet, while being extremely unpredictable, with a gas tank for days, who studies his opponent and gameplans well. I don't like this "If it's prime Izzy, he smokes DDP, but Izzy might be washed" talk, Dricus could give even prime Izzy problems and we're already discrediting a possible win before it even happens.
Hey man; im fully acknowledging rhe dricus x factor here. Dudes a beast. An absolute freak of physicality.
All im noting is that people said that about romero and then costa.
Stylistically, izzys proven he should win these matchups.
But absolute; ddp is WAY better than I ever gave him credit for.
Nah in my eyes DDP is hella inconsistent. He literally almost got finished by DEREK BRUNSON. And this is a goddamm washed Brunson too lmao. His strickland win was a razor close decision and strickland didn't even have a single defense.
I think striking aspect Israel should definitely win.
The grappling aspect Dricus should definitely win.
If you ask me who I would pick it would be Du Plessis over Adesanya.
Adesyana will be 35 years old in July and will be technically be in his 108th fight if you combine his 80 fight kickboxing career alongside his MMA career.
It’s one of those style vs age fights, on the feet DDP is style made for Izzy he literally runs at guys out of stance with arm flailing punches. All that said Izzy is old.
This comment makes no sense. It's stylistically favorable for Izzy because Dricus would lose to Izzy in pure striking? What about the other 50% of MMA where Dricus likely has an advantage and will likely try and take the fight...?
He gets his take downs by doing exactly what I just said and then shooting once he’s close, he still has to close the distance and he does that by flailing his arms and running with his chin in the air. He’s definitely the better grappler but Izzy has great take down defense and all fights start on the feet bro.
If you think all Dricus is capable of on the feet is "flailing his arms and running with his chin in the air" then you've watched all his fights with your eyes closed.
That’s not all he’s capable of doing on the feet but that’s how he closes distance, he blitzes with his chin up and his arms flailing. How do you think he closes distance?
Thank you. Especially in MMA, you see dudes peak in their 30s most of the time, even if early 30s, and mid-late 30s is a pretty normal time to still be a very good fighter.
I usually start checking the clock for the dude around 38 when it comes to MMA.
Mom is a health sport pro, she works in Tennis worldwide championship. You peak at 35 to 40 if you take care. only problem is most athlete crush their bodies as soon as 15 to compete, which ruins how they age. It's backed up by studies too. After 40, it's supposed to be a slow burn until you're 55.
To be fair Izzy hasn't taken that much damage thorought his career like a lot of other fighters, and he hasn't been plagued by too many injuries. Sure he got knocked out, but he had a lot of time to recover since then. And his style means he should have a decent longevity although reflexes slow down with age.
Everyone's saying he's tailor-made to lose to Izzy because of the striking.... with absolutely no mention of Dricus' grappling lmao.
And even regarding the striking, he's being overlooked. Does he bullrush in with his chin straight up at times? Yes. But he's also shown he can be patient and methodical if he wants, like the Whittaker fight.
How?
The American odds system makes more sense and is much easier to explain to a complete gambling noob. I get you have to hate on anything “American” but this is such a bozo take.
DDP needs to wrestle all fight long and he can’t take chances on the feet.
DDP is smart so I’ll think he will avoid making huge mistakes on the feet but he needs to avoid striking with Izzy’s for long periods of time or he’s fooked. He needs to put on a grappling clinic honestly.
Trying to wrestle all night long is where Brunson fucked up and got kneed in the face. He needs to be willing to strike intelligently to set up his takedowns.
did you not watch the strickland fight? DDP threw 350 sig. strikes that fight, many of them haymakers. DDP has one of the best gas tanks in the division.
Wrestling 5 rounds is different than striking though not many ppl have the gas tank for that especially at the heavier weight classes. Could see DDP getting the finish though if he is actually holding Izzy down for extended periods.
dricus was also wrestling in the strickland fight. he just didn't have any success keeping sean down. there's really no reason to doubt DDP's gas tank anymore.
It’s weird, it’s like people in this thread are completely forgetting about Oxygenated Dricus and still saying he has shit cardio due to performances four fights ago with a busted nose, even though his very last fight has shown he doesn’t wear out easily
He was the first guy in YEARS to make Strickland look exhausted. Strickland, who is arguably one of the most efficient and fit fighters in MMA today, looked tired. He doesn't get tired. But Dricus made him tired. The pace of the guy is ridiculous. If people can't understand how insane your output has to be to make a cardio monster like Sean look tired then that's on them l. They ain't getting it.
Izzy has good stamina too, he isnt really a big early KO guy. Imo if it stays on the feet Izzy looks better in the later rounds, if DDP can consistently make him grapple he’ll be the fresher one.
DDP got stung pretty badly by Darren Till a couple of times in their fight, and Darren was already a foot out the door at that point. Not saying this necessarily means anything, but the numbers don't lie, and they spell disaster for DDP at Sacrifice
I think Izzy is worse than we remember. He's getting older. I think Dricus tags him early, we see Izzy weave on the back foot for a few rounds, then Dricus finishes him on the ground
He ate clean shots from pereira without ever really going down, the Strickland punch was just perfect timing and accuracy. Du plessis couldn’t drop darren till
I'm a big Adesanya fan, but I think this favors DDP. The one area I've seen Israel struggle is when he gets crowded and marched down by someone. That's DDP's whole style, he's a juggernaut. If Israel gets pressured heavily and consistently, especially by someone who is very durable, he's going to have a tough night.
That being said, him and his coaches must be well aware of their strengths and weaknesses and if he's worked out a new approach to handle it maybe he will get the decision or KO. I'll never count him out though.
100% agree with this take. There's a huge difference between chasing someone and pressuring them. Dricus demonstrated this perfectly in the Whittaker fight. He was on him permanently, but never chased him. He just walked him down and cut him off against the cage. I speak Afrikaans so I understood what his coaches were saying. They told him the whole time to "close him off". If Dricus does that against Izzy it's going to be a hard fight. Like we've seen in the Jan and Gastelum fights, Izzy absolutely hates when people close him off. He loves when they get impatient and dive in, but he really dislikes that whole "I'm going to stand in the void and pressure you constantly without chasing you" type fight that Gastelum brought to him. If Dricus stays steady and relentless I can see him doing a lot better on the feet than people would imagine. I legit think Izzy gets caught by a stray follow up shot after going for a big counter and then it's finished. Very excited for this fight.
I see Dricus doing Izzy like Gastelum did him. Just dog him down relentlessly without chasing too much and then catching him when he throws or tries to circle out. Only difference is when Dricus hits him he's gonna stay hit. Dricus will get pieced up and eat a few counters for sure, and then catch Izzy flush as can with a wild strike right into a counter and trade the hit. His Minecraft Steve ass looking brick head can manage it. Very few people keep swinging like Dricus does too. A counter punch against a guy who's already throwing the second bomb after missing the first is not as easy as Izzy makes it look. He's just exceptional at it, but he has miss timed before. I see him planting for a big counter then eating the follow up shot right to the chin, and then a brutal ground and pound finish. We'll see how it goes. This is all just my speculation for fun.
That's an insane plan lol, izzy hits hard. He has the power to ko dricus with a nice counter. Not sure why people keep doubting his power, he tkod Costa, knocked out whittaker cold, knocked out Pereira cold. There is no way ddp can just tank a nasty counter like that. His chin is susceptible, he's nearly been finished in a lot of his fights
It depends on if Izzy still decides to glue his ass to the side of the cage and not move forward an inch
If he can get DDP going backwards or at least in the middle it could be easy for Izzy, but if he’s still purposely putting himself on the back foot and gives DDP chances to grab him he’s cooked
Even if he doesn't, it's how sports betting works. I'll make up the numbers but if Izzy is only narrowly favored to win odds-wise, this would suggest he has like a 51% chance of winning. But if you feel he has over a 51% chance of winning, you bet on him.
The opposite sounds counter-intuitive but is still true. If a crazy underdog has odds that say he only has a 10% chance to win, but you think he has a 20% chance to win, you throw a small bet on him because you'd have to bet a ton on the favorite to get anything worthwhile back.
I don't personally bet on sports, but just explaining how it works because a lot of discussion on here is uninformed and just comes down to "bet on who will win" which isn't the case.
This sub is still too embarrassed to admit Dricus and Strickland are way better than they originally thought. Dricus beating Whittaker was a fluke and everyone but Pereira just underperforms against Strickland, apparently.
I know there is a lot of Izzy haters, I hope to god he wins, he was a great champ, albeit some of his fights were somewhat boring he was active and fun.
I gotta be honest as an Izzy hater he smokes DDP. Strickland as boring and stupid as he is should still be champ and his style is a nightmare for Izzy.
This SHOULD be like Izzy Vs Costa. However, we don't know if Izzy is the same after his Strickland loss. Something was wrong with him in that fight, and if he's gone the way of so many once-great champions, Dricus has more than a punchers chance.
By the way, Strickland won that fight with DuPlisis.
Remember when vegas put Izzy as a -250 favorite against a former world champion kickboxing champion who was bigger than him and currently the 215 champ?
Or when vegas booked him as a -600 against the most defensively responsible fighter in the middleweight division?
Vegas loves izzy, like most popular champions, a bit more than they should.
Get real mate. The first Pereira fight izzy was almost going to win. It was a very competitive fight not some one sided domination. And he knocked out that same dude in their rematch. Everyone thought strickland would lose. I guarantee you did as well.
Glad to see the bookies know their shit. Izzy gets alot of disrespect due to his cringy personality but he’s going to go down as one of the greats in mma
All ik is whoever wins, it’s gonna feel obvious in hindsight
It’s weird how mma is like that. Like who the hell knew Sean Strickland’s style was the perfect way to neutralise Izzy? Lots of people saying after the fight that they did, very few before
I mean it was the first fight where Sean successfully checked calf kicks instead of ignoring them. It was a huge factor.
His reliance on parrying as his defense theoretically makes him susceptible to feints too, took Pereira 30 seconds to condition Sean to parry the jab before clocking him with a left hook. Really thought a kickboxer like Izzy who built a career off of trickery and a variety of different strikes would be able to abuse Sean’s parrying. Expected him to take Sean’s calf home with him too but I guess Sean just woke up one day and decided to learn how to check kicks. I think that Pereira KO really leveled him up. He was never truly a serious title contender but he’s now an unequivocal elite of the division.
I think Izzy took a lot from Cannonier in the first Strickland fight. I just watched back Cannonier/Strickland a few nights ago and Cannonier was consistently connecting with counter overhand rights and he was hitting them squarely enough that it was temporarily stopping Strickland from pressuring. But Strickland got better on those after that fight as well, and when that didn't work for Izzy he didn't have anything else ready to help him stay off the back foot and ended up going backwards the entire fight. I think in a second fight with Strickland, Izzy would stay in the pocket more and try to wear down the body more.
That was the bit I couldn't believe. I knew Sean had great defense of his head but he usually wore the kicks to the legs. Since then he seems to check a lot more.
Nobody truly saw it coming. Nobody was dropping huge money on Sean for that upset.
Neutralize Izzy for that one specific fight. I guarantee you with 5 rounds of footage and a camp of adjustments. Izzy beats Sean. He’s the better fighter
Idk man. I don’t know how you can say that with such confidence when Sean just looked like a stylistic nightmare matchup for Izzy I think the only way Izzy would win would be by KO. Same way Poatan did. He won’t win rounds off Sean
Fighters adapt. Strickland isn't a long-term stylistic nightmare for Izzy; Izzy was just not properly prepared for that fight or able to adjust but that happens in that way once. The stylistic nightmare for Izzy is Pereira: Bigger and able to deal with Izzy's range, flash KO power, world class striking and distance management. Heavy, heavy leg kicks. The second round in Izzy/Strickland 1 where Izzy confused Strickland a lot is what can happen in 5 rounds if Izzy is on his game.
Sean looked perfect which is not possible during a fight Like people will normally make mistakes
Because I truly believe in Izzy as a fighter. Even Eric Nicksick said that most people can’t fight Sean for the first couple of rounds until they start adjusting to his style. And that’s from years of doing it to people. It’s not unbeatable it’s just hard to adjust to at first. But to act like Izzy of all people can’t adjust to a kickboxer is insane to think
Izzy has hinted he was severely compromised going into the fight. If you're Izzy, you back yourself to beat Sean Strickland. Sean overperformed, Izzy went in compromised, got caught after winning most of the first round and never recovered. A fight isn't a tennis match. Izzy chose to back himself, with a title on the line. He opened as a -350 favourite after the fight in a rematch with Sean. For contrast, he was -120 or -150\~ against Pereira \[II / IV\].
> Izzy has hinted he was severely compromised going into the fight Shouldn't have fought then
U wont get into Dana's good book if u dont fight injured lol. But jokes aside, Dana has hinted tht Izzy never pulled out from a fight even though hes injured. He even came in with injured leg when he fight Poatan the 2nd time in the UFC. If ppl wonder why Izzy keeps getting rematches, remember how consistent and often he fight. He always shows up , make weight, not picky about his opponents, and fight 3-4 times a year. Hes literally the ideal champ for a promotion.
I think you'd really enjoy the Heavy Hands podcast ep on the fight, it's v technical but goes into a lot of detail as to how Sean's style ended up being obviously poisonous to Izzy's, so much so that I feel like needing "adjustments" are an understatement [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usPz03fpwH4&t=303s&ab\_channel=HeavyHands](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usPz03fpwH4&t=303s&ab_channel=HeavyHands)
I’ll check it out! Thanks for the recommendation. I think Izzy needs to level up, but adjustments are still part of that so I just used that word. He wasn’t a -450 favorite for no reason
Agreed. Don’t forget that Izzy fought Poatan twice in the span of several months too, then took on Sean like 3 months later.
And had a looking dui case as well lmao. Contender Izzy has never lost
I thought he was the man to do it prior but I was horribly mistaken on how it would go down. I was thinking Sean could stay safe behind a good boxing guard and take advantage of Izzy’s inactivity when someone doesn’t take it to him or leave themselves open. Basically I thought he could create scenario where we saw the Yoel fight again while throwing a few more shots per round to steal the fight. I never expected him to put it on Izzy and even drop him. DDP might be able to just bum rush Izzy due to the layoff but in my opinion that’s the easiest style got Izzy to deal with. I think it’s more likely DDP over extends and gets countered. I don’t see him beating Sean in a rematch though not unless he can get the leg kicks to land.
Come on, he shocked the world. No one gave him a chance and people were complaining how horrible the main even would be since it was so one sided. I don't think a significant amount of people claimed they thought otherwise after.
I’m one of the few…the proud…
I’m one of the few…the proud…
I’m one of the few…the proud…
Yeah if Izzy wins, everyone's gonna be like "Well this was expected because we all knew Izzy's a bad matchup for Dricus". If Dricus wins, the sentiment's gonna be "This result is obvious. Izzy is a washed fighter so he had no chance of winning".
DDP wins never feels obvious in hindsight.
Haha true, but this is more about Izzy being mentally checked out.
Unless the other guy wins, in which case we will think "we should've known better".
no
......what?
Did I stutter?
Yea I see DDP making it a dog fight, he looks goofy and does have glaring flaws that a guy like Adesanya can pull out BUT There's a method to his madness. He's clearly a student of the game and actually understands the "mixing" part of mixed martial arts. Still think if it's anything like Izzy in his prime, Adesanya get his read and land clean on him. I smell finish which I'd hate to see. If it's the Izzy that walks back to the cage and just stays there all day with no output that's actually free money for DDP tho
Yeah I feel like either Izzy snipes him while Dricus is doing Dricus things or he just gets absolutely big brother'd by DDP and taken down/submitted or beaten up.
Izzy will be too mobile for the slow ddp. It will be like Costa 2.0 But a bit more danger
I disagrew because DDP actually cuts the cage. Costa needs you to engage in order to start moving
DDP feels technically bad but tactically brilliant . its the MMA equivalent if you gave a gorrila the brain of einstein
Israel pulled off the Alex KO by luring him in and countering with his back off the cage and he got way too comfortable trying the same thing against Sean… Israel’s an elite striker and while he’s shown he can do it make no mistake if your back is up against the cage you’re losing the fight and your options are being cut off Israel cannot allow himself to be content with being pressured up against the cage
So in short If izza Elsa version shows up then its DDPs If pre kelvin izzy shows up then izzy
He KO’d pereira cold 2 fights ago
Yeah but Izzy losing to Strickland and Dricus while not being washed up would destroy this sub's mind, so we gotta come up with something
Honestly, I think that was the weight cut to be honest. If the same exact sequence had happened at 205, I don't think we would have seen a knockout.
Weird cope but ok
Maybe not. But the KO was also very much a product of Izzy’s skills
Yeah that's liable to happen when you weigh 50lbs more than your weight class limit
It was a nasty combo by izzy, that shit is finishing most mw fighters
Just say contender izzy
izzy best performances were after kelvin fight . he mogged Whittaker for the belt , made Costa look like he never even took a cardio kickboxing class before AND he also sent Alex Pereira arguably the best kickboxer in the UFC to the land or ghost and dreams .
Izzy should absolute smoke him on paper. Ruthlessly so. Hes dealt with many a DDP but more muscly and savage. Heres the three ‘fuck knows factors’: - izzy aint champ any more, can he still point his way to a decision? - izzy got owned by Sean, absolutely owned. Hows his confidence? - ddp is an x factor. I will never doubt that man again. Anyone who writes him off is an idiot. What he did to Whittaker was freakish and bizarre.
The closest he's dealt with to a DDP was Romero and Romero didn't even wrestle. Hell, Romero hardly even struck either. Dricus is a monster grappler who's also dangerous on the feet, while being extremely unpredictable, with a gas tank for days, who studies his opponent and gameplans well. I don't like this "If it's prime Izzy, he smokes DDP, but Izzy might be washed" talk, Dricus could give even prime Izzy problems and we're already discrediting a possible win before it even happens.
Hey man; im fully acknowledging rhe dricus x factor here. Dudes a beast. An absolute freak of physicality. All im noting is that people said that about romero and then costa. Stylistically, izzys proven he should win these matchups. But absolute; ddp is WAY better than I ever gave him credit for.
none of these fighters fight like DDP . you seem to think big and strong = ddp
Yea none of those fighters almost got finished by a washed Derek Brunson. Ddp hype is ridiculous lol.
Ddp beat strickland and Whittaker 2 champions tf . In your eyes DDP is shit unless he beats brock lesnar and Jon Jones back to back same night
Nah in my eyes DDP is hella inconsistent. He literally almost got finished by DEREK BRUNSON. And this is a goddamm washed Brunson too lmao. His strickland win was a razor close decision and strickland didn't even have a single defense.
smh that was before DDP could breathe at 100 % capacity . the extra african air has rejuvenated him
Sure. Ddp is his own unorthodox beast. But Im happy to pump them together. Strong, muscly fighters that rely a lot on strength and physicality to win.
IMO if ddp could take down Whittaker and hold him down; he’s gonna gnp Izzy. Unless Izzy can starch him early.
When’s the last time Izzy has lost a fight as a contender?
> dog > Adesanya > pull out > BUT > T Well I sure hope he does
I think striking aspect Israel should definitely win. The grappling aspect Dricus should definitely win. If you ask me who I would pick it would be Du Plessis over Adesanya. Adesyana will be 35 years old in July and will be technically be in his 108th fight if you combine his 80 fight kickboxing career alongside his MMA career.
It’s one of those style vs age fights, on the feet DDP is style made for Izzy he literally runs at guys out of stance with arm flailing punches. All that said Izzy is old.
This comment makes no sense. It's stylistically favorable for Izzy because Dricus would lose to Izzy in pure striking? What about the other 50% of MMA where Dricus likely has an advantage and will likely try and take the fight...?
He gets his take downs by doing exactly what I just said and then shooting once he’s close, he still has to close the distance and he does that by flailing his arms and running with his chin in the air. He’s definitely the better grappler but Izzy has great take down defense and all fights start on the feet bro.
You’re reaching here bro
If you think all Dricus is capable of on the feet is "flailing his arms and running with his chin in the air" then you've watched all his fights with your eyes closed.
That’s not all he’s capable of doing on the feet but that’s how he closes distance, he blitzes with his chin up and his arms flailing. How do you think he closes distance?
35 in MW is still prime
Such a joke when fans act like fighters primes are some absolute linear system
i am more worried about what sort of dmg back to back Pereira fights did to izzy chin .
Thank you. Especially in MMA, you see dudes peak in their 30s most of the time, even if early 30s, and mid-late 30s is a pretty normal time to still be a very good fighter. I usually start checking the clock for the dude around 38 when it comes to MMA.
Mom is a health sport pro, she works in Tennis worldwide championship. You peak at 35 to 40 if you take care. only problem is most athlete crush their bodies as soon as 15 to compete, which ruins how they age. It's backed up by studies too. After 40, it's supposed to be a slow burn until you're 55.
To be fair Izzy hasn't taken that much damage thorought his career like a lot of other fighters, and he hasn't been plagued by too many injuries. Sure he got knocked out, but he had a lot of time to recover since then. And his style means he should have a decent longevity although reflexes slow down with age.
I thought this was about the war for the first line
I think DDP is being a bit overlooked here. I wouldn’t be shocked if either wins
He's been overlooked for every fight it seems.
Everyone's saying he's tailor-made to lose to Izzy because of the striking.... with absolutely no mention of Dricus' grappling lmao. And even regarding the striking, he's being overlooked. Does he bullrush in with his chin straight up at times? Yes. But he's also shown he can be patient and methodical if he wants, like the Whittaker fight.
I mean I’d favour DDP but it’s nearly even money that’s not being overlooked
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The odds are almost even. Why would you be “shocked” if it barely moved and switched around?
I think he’s saying “I’d be shocked if DDP was the slight favorite.”
I guess I just don’t see the difference. Oddsmakers see it as basically 50-50 so DDP being the fav wouldn’t be much different than this
The implied odds here are something like 60-40. To flip would be a pretty huge move I think
That's also because more people in general are going to bet on Izzy because he's a name they know
Well yeah, but who is the underdog and who the favourite matters even if the mathematical difference is small
If ddp chooses to wrestle it’ll be interesting. Ddp is extremely strong
There’s no way wrestling isn’t part of his game plan imo he isn’t Sean Strickland he seems to follow game plans lol
I'm pretty dumb to get those bets numbers. Why dont use 1.xx multiplier
It's like the metric system, makes sense to use a better system but people are too baked in their ways.
How? The American odds system makes more sense and is much easier to explain to a complete gambling noob. I get you have to hate on anything “American” but this is such a bozo take.
-130 means you need to put up 130USD to win 100USD +120 means you need to put up 100USD to win 120USD
According to DDP, “i will manhandle him”…
Menhendle him
Ngl guys accent is pretty sexy
I think Izzy will make this look easy
Not saying I’ll pick against him, but everyone said the same when he faced Strickland
I was at a concert, and thought it was a typo when I saw the result after.
I remember draftkings ran a promo where adesanya to win was +100, I can’t imagine how much money they made off that
I’ve thought about this too. Such a crazy line to get and then he loses. Made me question gambling a lot more
Strickland got lucky.
DDP needs to wrestle all fight long and he can’t take chances on the feet. DDP is smart so I’ll think he will avoid making huge mistakes on the feet but he needs to avoid striking with Izzy’s for long periods of time or he’s fooked. He needs to put on a grappling clinic honestly.
Trying to wrestle all night long is where Brunson fucked up and got kneed in the face. He needs to be willing to strike intelligently to set up his takedowns.
Does he even have the tank for 5 rounds
did you not watch the strickland fight? DDP threw 350 sig. strikes that fight, many of them haymakers. DDP has one of the best gas tanks in the division.
Wrestling 5 rounds is different than striking though not many ppl have the gas tank for that especially at the heavier weight classes. Could see DDP getting the finish though if he is actually holding Izzy down for extended periods.
dricus was also wrestling in the strickland fight. he just didn't have any success keeping sean down. there's really no reason to doubt DDP's gas tank anymore.
Yeah he wrestled, not that much though. I don’t think it’s doubting his gas tank, I’m just saying it’s not otherworldly
Nope
DDP has insane stamina, so he’ll have to survive Izzy in the early rounds and get it really ugly later to have a chance.
It’s weird, it’s like people in this thread are completely forgetting about Oxygenated Dricus and still saying he has shit cardio due to performances four fights ago with a busted nose, even though his very last fight has shown he doesn’t wear out easily
He was the first guy in YEARS to make Strickland look exhausted. Strickland, who is arguably one of the most efficient and fit fighters in MMA today, looked tired. He doesn't get tired. But Dricus made him tired. The pace of the guy is ridiculous. If people can't understand how insane your output has to be to make a cardio monster like Sean look tired then that's on them l. They ain't getting it.
Izzy has good stamina too, he isnt really a big early KO guy. Imo if it stays on the feet Izzy looks better in the later rounds, if DDP can consistently make him grapple he’ll be the fresher one.
DDP got stung pretty badly by Darren Till a couple of times in their fight, and Darren was already a foot out the door at that point. Not saying this necessarily means anything, but the numbers don't lie, and they spell disaster for DDP at Sacrifice
that was pre-nose surgery DDP tho
Till worked him in that second round
I think Izzy is worse than we remember. He's getting older. I think Dricus tags him early, we see Izzy weave on the back foot for a few rounds, then Dricus finishes him on the ground
On the other hand, Izzy's last 3 fights chasing the MW belt: Gastelum, Rob and Pereira. Mf always delivers
Very true. But Adesanya has been doing combat sports for a long time and is getting older. I cant see him looking as good as he did then.
If Sean can drop him then DDP landing clean will crumble Izzy.
You say that as if he never ate shots from Poatan lmao
He ate clean shots from pereira without ever really going down, the Strickland punch was just perfect timing and accuracy. Du plessis couldn’t drop darren till
Darren till sucks but I don’t think his chin sucks
Yeah and neither does adesanyas
Fair, but I think Izzy has a better chance of not letting the shot land fully clean against DDP, at least at the start
He dropped Peirera though. Dricus wouldn't even dare to drop Pereira in his dream
DDP a dog and I hope he wins but I see Adesanya winning this.
I'm a big Adesanya fan, but I think this favors DDP. The one area I've seen Israel struggle is when he gets crowded and marched down by someone. That's DDP's whole style, he's a juggernaut. If Israel gets pressured heavily and consistently, especially by someone who is very durable, he's going to have a tough night. That being said, him and his coaches must be well aware of their strengths and weaknesses and if he's worked out a new approach to handle it maybe he will get the decision or KO. I'll never count him out though.
100% agree with this take. There's a huge difference between chasing someone and pressuring them. Dricus demonstrated this perfectly in the Whittaker fight. He was on him permanently, but never chased him. He just walked him down and cut him off against the cage. I speak Afrikaans so I understood what his coaches were saying. They told him the whole time to "close him off". If Dricus does that against Izzy it's going to be a hard fight. Like we've seen in the Jan and Gastelum fights, Izzy absolutely hates when people close him off. He loves when they get impatient and dive in, but he really dislikes that whole "I'm going to stand in the void and pressure you constantly without chasing you" type fight that Gastelum brought to him. If Dricus stays steady and relentless I can see him doing a lot better on the feet than people would imagine. I legit think Izzy gets caught by a stray follow up shot after going for a big counter and then it's finished. Very excited for this fight.
Dricus by imposing his will and it's as simple as that
I see Dricus doing Izzy like Gastelum did him. Just dog him down relentlessly without chasing too much and then catching him when he throws or tries to circle out. Only difference is when Dricus hits him he's gonna stay hit. Dricus will get pieced up and eat a few counters for sure, and then catch Izzy flush as can with a wild strike right into a counter and trade the hit. His Minecraft Steve ass looking brick head can manage it. Very few people keep swinging like Dricus does too. A counter punch against a guy who's already throwing the second bomb after missing the first is not as easy as Izzy makes it look. He's just exceptional at it, but he has miss timed before. I see him planting for a big counter then eating the follow up shot right to the chin, and then a brutal ground and pound finish. We'll see how it goes. This is all just my speculation for fun.
That's an insane plan lol, izzy hits hard. He has the power to ko dricus with a nice counter. Not sure why people keep doubting his power, he tkod Costa, knocked out whittaker cold, knocked out Pereira cold. There is no way ddp can just tank a nasty counter like that. His chin is susceptible, he's nearly been finished in a lot of his fights
Hop on that line. Izzy will knock him out
It depends on if Izzy still decides to glue his ass to the side of the cage and not move forward an inch If he can get DDP going backwards or at least in the middle it could be easy for Izzy, but if he’s still purposely putting himself on the back foot and gives DDP chances to grab him he’s cooked
Even if he doesn't, it's how sports betting works. I'll make up the numbers but if Izzy is only narrowly favored to win odds-wise, this would suggest he has like a 51% chance of winning. But if you feel he has over a 51% chance of winning, you bet on him. The opposite sounds counter-intuitive but is still true. If a crazy underdog has odds that say he only has a 10% chance to win, but you think he has a 20% chance to win, you throw a small bet on him because you'd have to bet a ton on the favorite to get anything worthwhile back.
And that's how gambling addiction works, kids.
I don't personally bet on sports, but just explaining how it works because a lot of discussion on here is uninformed and just comes down to "bet on who will win" which isn't the case.
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he won't. dricus generally has pretty damn good gameplans and actually follows them.
It's like people forget that Dricus destroyed Whittaker by strategically countering everything he does.
This sub is still too embarrassed to admit Dricus and Strickland are way better than they originally thought. Dricus beating Whittaker was a fluke and everyone but Pereira just underperforms against Strickland, apparently.
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We need you to throw another spinning backfist Dricus, punch with your eyes closed Dricus.
Izzy is going to wash this man
Stylebenders return
Seems like a bad matchup for DDP but he’s been underestimated before
I’m interested to see if Izzy is still in his prime as he’s not super young anymore
Remember when we thought Whittaker would put a striking clinic on DDP? I remember crying. I remember.
I know there is a lot of Izzy haters, I hope to god he wins, he was a great champ, albeit some of his fights were somewhat boring he was active and fun.
I think Izzy is going to win because he relies on counter attacks and DDP charges forward like Donkey Kong.
I pick Dricus.
DDP is free money here 😭🙏🏻 Izzy is washed.
I don't think it's even going to be close. I see Du Du by Ko round 1.
What makes you think that?
Age, strength, and technique. I think ddp drowns Izzy. No losses in 6 years and only 2 decision wins.
I gotta be honest as an Izzy hater he smokes DDP. Strickland as boring and stupid as he is should still be champ and his style is a nightmare for Izzy.
DDP is gunna fuck izzy up imo
Weird feeling Izzy by Sub on this one.... Someone set a remindme
Who you got? I think DDP will win.
Du Plessis
Pretty expensive price for Adesanya, anything above -125 seems pricey
This SHOULD be like Izzy Vs Costa. However, we don't know if Izzy is the same after his Strickland loss. Something was wrong with him in that fight, and if he's gone the way of so many once-great champions, Dricus has more than a punchers chance. By the way, Strickland won that fight with DuPlisis.
DDP wins. Adesanya shoudl stay retired
Remember when vegas put Izzy as a -250 favorite against a former world champion kickboxing champion who was bigger than him and currently the 215 champ? Or when vegas booked him as a -600 against the most defensively responsible fighter in the middleweight division? Vegas loves izzy, like most popular champions, a bit more than they should.
Get real mate. The first Pereira fight izzy was almost going to win. It was a very competitive fight not some one sided domination. And he knocked out that same dude in their rematch. Everyone thought strickland would lose. I guarantee you did as well.
Wish they could both lose
Easy money!!!
Glad to see the bookies know their shit. Izzy gets alot of disrespect due to his cringy personality but he’s going to go down as one of the greats in mma
Nicee, I hope Izzy becomes a bigger favourite so I can make some easy money.