Have Izzy’s reflexes diminished?

[Han]

Chatting with my cousin today about the Izzy fight and both had the same opinion. Izzy is as great as he has always been but age has caught up with him and his reflexes have slowed down just enough where he’s getting tagged by punches he would normally avoid.

They do say the first thing to go with age is your reflexes / reaction time. Reminds me a little of Anderson after the weidman fight. It would not surprise me if Izzy looses a string of fights to guys who normally wouldn’t stand a chance.

That’s not to take anything away from ddp, very well rounded and a tank.

 

[kingmob6]

I thought he would win by the margin of his penis size, but alas, BWC prevailed.

 

[acannxr]

11 months of inactivity didn't help either.

 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Izzy will say he was like Trunks and Vegeta when they bulked up too much vs Cell

 

[TheBulge]

I didn't see that, it was more of a diminishing of his hand eye coordination. Timing and accuracy was off. Got hit with shots he didn't get hit with before and missed shots he would have landed.

 

[KarateYeah]

I think he just lost a lot of confidence after losing to Pereira in MMA. Even though he got their next fight, he was losing until he won..different than their first MMA fight.

And then losing the way he lost to Strickland.. I think it's the same as Anderson..once that aura is gone, it takes a toll on the confidence

 

[Elvis.]

Everyone is different, but by 35 your reflexes have probably started to go for a shit

 

[wildchild88]

Maybe I'm wrong, but he looks a touch slower, less powerful and not as creative in there.

He just seems less inspired as a fighter.

He's not the guy who KO'd Whittaker in the second round in Melbourne anymore.

 

[tymikeson]

a fighter like izzy relies 100% on standup reflexes and speed, and they have deminished jsut ever so slighlty.

and when you dont have a well rounded mma style, it makes it harder to succeed when your bread and butter starts to fade a touch.

like roy jones jr. - as soon as his reflex diminished a tiny bit, he was hittable and not hitting enough, didnt evolve on how to fight with limitations....thus started losing

 

[GrantB13]

He just got beat by an explosive African fighter. He also bulked up for this fight which could have taken away some of his speed. Which by the way, maybe Anik didn't mention it, but did you know City Kickboxing has a new strength and conditioning program? Just in case you didn't hear about it during the broadcast.

 

[Marko Polo]

He needed to bite down on the mouth piece and swing, but he doesn’t have that venom in his punches anymore

 

[linvillegorge]

Your reflexes aren't improving in your mid-30s, that's for sure.

 

[ElLunico]

That's aging for ya lol.

 

[Espresso]

He was JBG last night

 

[Hezekiah]

Possibly, but I think his gas tank and speed have declined more.

 

[TheOnlyGreatest]

He's afraid to engage and follow through with combinations. Getting put down by Pereira and Strickland ruined him mentally. There were moments in the fight where DDP was very vulnerable and hurt, and the Izzy from 3-4 years ago would have gotten the finish instead of backing off and resetting.

Part of what made him great was the fact that he believed that winning was his destiny. In his fight against Gastelum, for example - he was ready to die for the W. This version of Izzy would have folded in the face of that kind of adversity. It's not so much that he declined physically but the fact that he's not even close to what he was mentally. Same thing that happened to Tony. Once you know for a fact that losing is an option - you start losing. It's over.

 

[BabyBlue_Bomber]

He definitely slowed down, but he still looked good and avoided most big strikes Du Plessis was throwing at him…

If they fought again, I would still pick Adesanya.

 

[laleggenda27]

He's 35. All of his physical traits are diminishing.

 

[AmonTobin]

I don't think his reflexes are what they used to be. They failed him in critical moments here and in the Strickland fight leading up to that near TKO. He still looked great but his reliance on pulling his head out of range in the nick of time was stressful to watch (I was bracing for Anderson-Weidman moment). He still has finesse, foot work, timing and his body shots were beautiful to see. I'd assume his reaction time is slowing, even if minutely so. I don't think he's got the same chin he used to either. He looks rattled from shots he would have walked through when he was younger.

 

[Bork Neslar]

Yeah sure.