All these top names pulling out for various reasons...

[Neck&Neck]

Always liked his fighting skills
But he messed up insulting the King of Zamunda

 

[Foppa21]

He has been injured. People just don't hear about it

 

[RockyLockridge]

Meh, Izzy fought in a truly weak MW division that makes Silvas look strong as fuck. No need to duck.

I know no one will agree but the strongest mw division was when weidman was champion

 

[Dana's Conscience]

You won't ever hear me shit on Izzy, even if he hangs it up now. Dude fought his ass off. Tired of these twice a year divas that seem to plague the UFC. Even fighting once a year is kind of normalized now, you used to have people hate guys that were inactive.

Twice a year is pretty standard for champions. Three times a year is a lot.

 

[World eater]

Izzy and Alex are kickboxers. They are used to train all the time and fight often.
But we don’t like “one dimensional kickboxers” here, so we must point out that they are flawed and have huge holes in their game or that their divisions are weak. At the very least it’s the “I hate the guy, but have to appreciate his activity” line. Hating someone is just more fun + allows for better use of silly memes. Also, insulting fans for being stupid for liking such people goes hand in hand.

 

[markantony20]

I know no one will agree but the strongest mw division was when weidman was champion

I think that’s a pretty commonly held opinion.

Teh Chris fought in probably the strongest MW division there ever has been.

 

[Tweak896]

Twice a year is pretty standard for champions. Three times a year is a lot.

I'm talking regular top 5 guys now, probably anyone in top 10. There is a relaxed expectation from mma fans that fighters going 3x a year is an insane rate. We used to have it on the regular and 3x was expected.

 

[ElLunico]

He has been injured. People just don't hear about it

True, I believe he hurt his knee before the Alex rematch.. meanwhile you got Kamzat pulling out cuz of food poisoning lol

 

[orca]

Makes you appreciate Izzy's championship reign and run to the title. Never pulled out of a fight, never injured, never ducked anyone, never complained and was active as fuck..

Izzy one of the rare ones that look at MMA as like a true sport instead of picking and choosing match ups, yet still made a lot of money. Looking forward to the comeback!

jones has more defenses fought more superior fighters
wiped out 2 generations of monsters
beat them at their own game
monsters literally lined up just to fight him

i rememberd back then he called jon
then when jon responded izzy chickend out lmfao haha

 

[blaseblase]

298, 299 and 300 went down without anyone pulling out. We are paying for it now.

 

[BowserJr]

jones has more defenses fought more superior fighters
wiped out 2 generations of monsters
beat them at their own game
monsters literally lined up just to fight him

i rememberd back then he called jon
then when jon responded izzy chickend out lmfao haha

He had 5 fights like that in 2yrs (impressive) then became suspect. After that only 3 opponents were interesting and one of those made it obvious that he's incredible at using reach.

Similar sized opponents who are subpar arguably beat him lol

 

[Nausicaa]

Agreed. Izzy was def a stud when it came to that. He always explicitly stated who he thought deserves the shot at him next. He wasn't scared, never dodged, always calling out who was next and it was always what the fans wanted.

Would have really liked to see khamzat vs Izzy though. Hopefully their paths will still cross down the road

 

[Istryker]

Izzy and Alex are two of the best signings by the UFC in the past decade.

Both of them were made before the UFC

Meh, Izzy fought in a truly weak MW division that makes Silvas look strong as fuck. No need to duck.

You fight those guys then

 

[Ayreon]

What can bring you away from fighting so often?

1. Injuries
2. The need to live your ordinary life as a father, as a husband, as a friend, as a normal human being

The problem is that if you live your ordinary life too much, you slowly drop your warrior core.

"Too much movies make you weak."
- Khabib

 

[BowserJr]

Both of them were made before the UFC


You fight those guys then

If Izzy wasn't a trained fighter and beat those guys I'd be impressed. Likewise if he actually had to face good wrestlers or at least more than 3 world beaters and won I'd be impressed

 

[BoomStronk]

Izzy and Alex are two of the best signings by the UFC in the past decade.

Especially when you consider their paired nature. They were both super successful fighters you'd want to watch and then the fact they had this compelling backstory between them was a huge bonus.

 

[Van Daz]

Volk should be on the list, too.

 

[ElLunico]

Volk should be on the list, too.

Yes Volk is cut from the same cloth.

 

[Luthien]

But he messed up insulting the King of Zamunda

 

[Prince Nephilim]

Izzy’s run was straight no guts no glory. Took on everyone and turn down no one.