Adesenya was never really good...

[cheachea]

Summary of all his fights :

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/ElRc8UjW.

 

[Qays Stetkevich]

I could agree but in either case, hes going to get his belt back.

He might, and I wouldn't be surprised. But I like the mix-up and would rather see Izzy against some grapplers who have trouble cracking the very top. I *thought* Strickland was going to try. . . but can't knock him. What works works.

 

[BigSexy444]

*Checks to see the result of last fight*

You're right. He was never that good.

 

[textwarrior]

If you really think about it. How does someone lose in their chosen specialty (striking) against a guy who got knocked out in round 1 (against Alex Pereira) with his hands down.

Either Adesenya got a lot worse or Sean Strickland improved a lot in the past year.

Looking at Adesenya's style, he is what I call a "point fighter".
Yes, he is capable of knocking out anyone, just like most UFC fighters.
We witnessed that when he brutally KO'd Alex Pereira with his counter right hook.

But if you look at his fights, he doesn't really go for the kill. Like you would expect a pissed off drunk high T bar dude or hungry lion would. He just stands and trades like a pacifist, trying to one-up his opponents and win on points.

No killer instinct like a Francis Ngannou or Jiri Prochazka or Islam Makhachev.
These guys instill fear in their opponents and the audience feels that tension (you know what I'm talking about) while being captivated from start to finish.

Adesenya is an expert at distance management, counter striking, and kicks.

But where is the wrestling?
The offensive jiu jitsu?
The muay thai knees and elbows in the clinch?

Because these missing weapons aren't an immediate threat in the match, we get a highly-skilled (albeit one-dimensional) fighter who focuses more on range and pacifism rather than just going after the kill and ending it.

Most of his fights go all 5 rounds because Izzy is too risk-averse to fight like a killer.
He knows he is the best technical fighter so he will do enough to just win on points.
It's probably the safest and most guaranteed way of winning (hey, a win is a win whether you finish or decision, right?) so I don't blame him but...

that is also the main thing holding Izzy back from reaching that next level.
And yes, even world champions can keep on improving and breaking their own plateaus.

Just my 2 cents sherbros..

To beat Alex, and chase LHW and desire to reach risky fights like with JJ, I don't think you can be more of a fighter than that..All fighters lose but not all have the fighter in them..I think Izzy is a true good fighter. He was at a point when Alex Came in that we did not know who else to have him fight...I don't think losing makes you less...so many factors why it happens...Khabib knew he would lose one day and did not want that so he retired at his peak...smart if you want the best image but I think there are allot of the best fighters that have loss...its MMA...its not boxing...people can lose so easily in MMA....its not like boxing..its much harder to prevent losing. Khabib is the only one who never had a loss, but, he retired early too....I don't think less of Izzy for losing either. I just Sean has that style that beats him.

 

[r-harper-1]

Izzy is great , his record speaks for itself…..I am a bit surprised a fighter with his skill set has had such a great run

 

[kumitechamp]

Ddp

To beat Alex, and chase LHW and desire to reach risky fights like with JJ, I don't think you can be more of a fighter than that..All fighters lose but not all have the fighter in them..I think Izzy is a true good fighter. He was at a point when Alex Came in that we did not know who else to have him fight...I don't think losing makes you less...so many factors why it happens...Khabib knew he would lose one day and did not want that so he retired at his peak...smart if you want the best image but I think there are allot of the best fighters that have loss...its MMA...its not boxing...people can lose so easily in MMA....its not like boxing..its much harder to prevent losing. Khabib is the only one who never had a loss, but, he retired early too....I don't think less of Izzy for losing either. I just Sean has that style that beats him.

Ddp looks far more impressive than Izzy did in his first 6 fights. Made Whitaker look like a chump. 6-0 5 finishes. He had just as many finishes already that Izzy has. There a reason Izzy wanted to force the shortest notice title fight to a number 1 contender in the history of the sport. Sean Strickland completely outclassed him on short notice in his own country.