DDP greatest strength - his cardio

[MetaIIica]

DDP always seemed to gas during his fights , especially before his nose surgery where he had to mouth breathe. But he never actually gasses out and always manages to recover and gain a 2nd, 3rd, 4th wind. He seemed dead tired against Izzy at some points , then he keeps coming back. His cardio is what allows him to put so much pressure with his blitz style and I think it’s his greatest strength, especially for a guy with so much muscle mass that requires a lot of oxygen.

 

[Contempt]

I would have said that he's built like a tank...

 

[ExitLUPin]

No it's his sheer physicality and size. He walks around heavier than Jiri and is built like a tank



It's like when Yoel was winning fights early UFC run where we kept wondering how he pulls these finishes out his ass and he just overwhelms guys. Fighters like Yoel and Dricus are physical freaks of nature where they don't have to play by the same rules of peasants relying on technique and skill. They can YOLO it due to genetics.

Yoel - Aaron Donald
Dricus - JJ Watt

 

[Meatspin]

Pretty impressive, he was looking pretty worn out early on but rallied hard

 

[Tweak896]

DDP reminds me of a MW Forrest Griffin with a more well rounded game with better takedowns. He's big for the division, can outwork you, maybe isn't the best at any one thing, but his cardio and heart will drown you.

 

[jimmy dakine]

It must be a couple of years ago I commented the same thing here. He doesnt seem to have a brilliant fight IQ but he makes up for it with a cardio that gives him a 2nd wind whenever he needs it. His MMA skill is enough to hold his own with anyone, but I think its actually the cardio that separates him and won him a couple of fights he might have lost.

 

[GolovKing]

He looked more fatigued than Izzy looked but he just seemed to have more grit and toughness. Granted his style is a lot more exhausting than Izzy's so I guess he should be more exhausted

 

[podsox]

He looked more fatigued than Izzy looked but he just seemed to have more grit and toughness. Granted his style is a lot more exhausting than Izzy's so I guess he should be more exhausted

Watch the Brad Tavares fight. He looked like his gas tank was empty after the first rd. He went on to beat the shit out of Tavares the last 2 rds

 

[BJJ4Tone]

Maybe so....
Because nothing he does LOOKS good.
It's all ugly and awkward, but heck if it doesn't all WORK!!

 

[Trevis]

His durability as well.

Izzy hit him hard with accurate shots and he didn't go down. He could not have applied that pressure without the durability/power/cardio.

He was also a lot more inefficient than Israel and missed a ton of strikes (especially kicks which consume a ton of energy), so his cardio is really off the charts.

 

[backlight]

He doesnt seem to have a brilliant fight IQ

His fight IQ is fine. Izzy adjusted to Dricus' rushes in by framing better and moving offline, then Dricus adjusted to that by throwing the left body kick when Izzy framed off with his left arm, and proceeded to keep with that adjustment frequently in a short space of time, with Izzy not liking the body kicks at all.

This happened in the period before the finish.

Or maybe, Africa would not let him die gas.

 

[FreedomCricket]

I don't think DDP is as gassed as he looks.

He just moves awkwardly and we still view him through the lens of pre-nose surgery.

 

[FlyingDeathKick]

The only time I remember Dricus looking truly gassed was... Forget which fight but had a bunch of grappling in it early on. Other fights he's done the mouth breathing thing but didn't look that gassed. Tbf both Izzy and Dricus looked like they were gasping for air at the end of rd 2. Could be more of a way to not gas out then it is actually being gassed.

 

[usernamee]

He has great mental fortitude when it comes to pushing himself past exhaustion

Sometimes that's what cardio comes down to at the end, being the one who handles exhaustion better mentally

 

[ColemanwastheGOAT]

Hard to nail it down to one thing.

He clearly has grit/heart whatever you want to call it.
Good cardio.
Great power in his hands.
Good killer instinct.
Pretty good wrestling.
A strong choke.

And he seemed to have belief that if he just threw his hands, eventually he'd hurt Adesanya and he was right.

 

[fizzlehiss]

It's his awareness and adaptability. He can find what works in a fight and get out of bad situations.

 

[Osculater]

He always has a 2nd wind like a 3rd lung

 

[MetaIIica]

I would have said that he's built like a tank...

Yoel Romero is built like a tank and gassed out. DDP doesn't get tired and he goes hard until the 5th , which is crazy for the amount of muscle mass he has.

 

[Poirierfan]

I think it's more to do with his toughness . He's a never say die guy foshow. His cardio is good but nothing spectacular.

 

[deviake]

Yeah, no matter how tired he looks he's always got something left in the tank, always has a surge in him. All the more impressive being that he's built like a brick shithouse