Is there any point in Izzy trying to gain weight?

[GiganticMeat]

Title. If Blachowicz fight (200.5 weigh in, clothed) and his own word are to be taken, he cuts down from less than 200 pounds. Even for MW he could stand to gain 5-10 pounds, though I suppose there are also benefits to not cutting as much weight. But that would be an inbetween to getting up to a more solid 215-220 for LHW. Possible with his frame? You can see Izzy and Alex are roughly the same size in the old kickboxing fights, but Pereira got chonkier as the years went by.

Should also note, Adesanya's next opponent at MW, Dricus, is almost LHW size. Is it possible Adesanya has already gained weight from his Blachowicz-fight days? I can't find recent data

 

[deviake]

I don't think so, especially not at this point in his mid 30s. And I'd say forget LHW, he has enough challenges at MW.

Pereira is an average sized LHW at the smallest, the dude is fucking lean and big. I've no idea how he made MW, at least in recent times anyway.

 

[Portland8242]

Pereira is an average sized LHW at the smallest, the dude is fucking lean and big. I've no idea how he made MW, at least in recent times anyway.

He looked notably bigger than both Hill and Jiri.

He was a little stringy and leaner at MW, but still obviously super powerful. He's definitely grown into LHW over the last year and it's really showing in his fighting style, his power just looks sick nowadays with him fully filled out into his frame.

 

[Only Here for Attachments]

Sounds like a move to welterweight is in order. Most of those guys are 190-200 in the cage, IIRC.

 

[Johnnny]

Should also note, Adesanya's next opponent at MW, Dricus, is almost LHW size.

A few years ago, Du Plessis was able to make welterweight with no problem. He had a pair of memorable fights with Roberto Soldic for the KSW welterweight title. In one of them, Du Plessis stepped on the scale at 169 lbs and looked fine.



Du Plessis likely couldn't cut back down to welterweight now, but claiming that he is almost the size of a LHW is an exaggeration. He is very similar in size to Robert Whittaker.

 

[GiganticMeat]

I don't think so, especially not at this point in his mid 30s. And I'd say forget LHW, he has enough challenges at MW.

Pereira is an average sized LHW at the smallest, the dude is fucking lean and big. I've no idea how he made MW, at least in recent times anyway.

Dang, that's the thing--people DO tend to gain weight into their 30s. Pereira is obviously lean, but he was definitely even leaner before. It's obvious they don't have the same exact build, so maybe it would just end up with Adesanya being slower, but it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility if he's already getting denser.

Sounds like a move to welterweight is in order. Most of those guys are 190-200 in the cage, IIRC.

See above. It isn't really possible to know whether he's gained or lost weight since without in-cage weights, though. Only California commission publishes them reliably as far as I know. The Blachowicz fight is a lucky data point, and it lines up with Adesanya's own word from years back

 

[biscuitsbrah]

Dricus is short and very strong. Israel could stand to get a little stronger but I don’t think it should be a huge priority. He’s been doing a lot of work with his S&C coach, so I assume he’s only getting more physical. His coach is really smart and good

 

[GiganticMeat]

A few years ago, Du Plessis was able to make welterweight with no problem. He had a pair of memorable fights with Roberto Soldic for the KSW welterweight title. In one of them, Du Plessis stepped on the scale at 169 lbs and looked fine.



Du Plessis likely couldn't cut back down to welterweight now, but claiming that he is almost the size of a LHW is an exaggeration. He is very similar in size to Robert Whittaker.

I went and dug this up for you

Media - Dricus: I think Jiri should go down to MW. I saw his weight in the PI and he walks around lighter than I do

forums.sherdog.com

Now, what this could also mean is that Jiri is just a small-average sized LHW by weight. But Dricus weighs more than him and is at least, a very big MW nowadays

Whittaker has recent in-cage weight data too. One second

UFC 298 fight night weights: Geoff Neal gained over 30 pounds before facing Ian Machado Garry

The fight night weights for UFC 298 have been revealed with Geoff Neal showing the biggest jump between days after he gained more than 30 pounds for his fight with Ian Machado Garry

www.mmafighting.com

From 298. Whittaker is a bit bigger than I remember, 207 on that night. Smaller than Costa at 215, which is what I'm going for with Dricus. Idk what weight he claimed to be heavier than Jiri at. 215? 218? Thereabouts

 

[GiganticMeat]

Dricus is short and very strong. Israel could stand to get a little stronger but I don’t think it should be a huge priority. He’s been doing a lot of work with his S&C coach, so I assume he’s only getting more physical. His coach is really smart and good

That's good to hear. I can't pretend to know what's best for the guy. Just interesting as a thought experiment/what if

 

[Preston broadus]

I don't think he could mentally recover from another loss to poatan. A win would be good but the satisfaction won't improve his overall esteem.

 

[deviake]

He looked notably bigger than both Hill and Jiri.

He was a little stringy and leaner at MW, but still obviously super powerful. He's definitely grown into LHW over the last year and it's really showing in his fighting style, his power just looks sick nowadays with him fully filled out into his frame.

I think his chin has gotta be better at LHW too. He's a big boy

 

[deviake]

Dang, that's the thing--people DO tend to gain weight into their 30s. Pereira is obviously lean, but he was definitely even leaner before. It's obvious they don't have the same exact build, so maybe it would just end up with Adesanya being slower, but it doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility if he's already getting denser.


See above. It isn't really possible to know whether he's gained or lost weight since without in-cage weights, though. Only California commission publishes them reliably as far as I know. The Blachowicz fight is a lucky data point, and it lines up with Adesanya's own word from years back

There's a difference between gaining weight with age and jumping up 20lbs (with weights and not cookies) after already having a long career. Entirely speculative but I don't think Adesanya's really built for LHW. Pereira is huge.

 

[Corrado Soprano]

Izzy’s a tough fighter. However with his physique he’s stuck at middleweight or at a huge disadvantage at LHW. What he has going for him is he’s tough mentally. Izzy has that dog in him and doesn’t crumble.

 

[WoozyFailGuy]

Izzy isn't meant to be at 205 and has possibly the most "MW frame" that I've seen. Even Anderson who fought at 169 and 175 looked larger throughout his career.

 

[Oscar Madison]

Izzy’s a tough fighter. However with his physique he’s stuck at middleweight or at a huge disadvantage at LHW. What he has going for him is he’s tough mentally. Izzy has that dog in him and doesn’t crumble.

Hmm.

 

[The J0ker]

All the weight would just go to his boobs.

 

[NoSmilez]

Israel can get a little heavier but it just means he has to cut more water. Most kickboxers don't cut a ton of weight like MMA guys. Maybe things changed.

Israel isn't naturally skinny or unable to put on weight. Look at his brother. His brother is the largest bantamweight fighter/champion I ever seen...

 

[laleggenda27]

Absolutely not. Size, or lack thereof, has never caused Izzy any issues at MW.

If he were moving to LHW, yes. Getting manhandled by a non-wrestler like Jan showed the size/strength discrepancy for Izzy at 205. But I haven't seen any indication suggesting he wants to move up.

 

[Pious Augustus]

He looked notably bigger than both Hill and Jiri.

He was a little stringy and leaner at MW, but still obviously super powerful. He's definitely grown into LHW over the last year and it's really showing in his fighting style, his power just looks sick nowadays with him fully filled out into his frame.

he's not bigger than them he just stands tall

 

[GiganticMeat]

I think his chin has gotta be better at LHW too. He's a big boy

I think the chin being drained is a bigger disadvantage than being bigger than Izzy at 185 is an advantage. It gets flipped at 205 but still much fairer imo considering they have fought twice at 185.

There's a difference between gaining weight with age and jumping up 20lbs (with weights and not cookies) after already having a long career. Entirely speculative but I don't think Adesanya's really built for LHW. Pereira is huge.

Totally fair. Do however think 20 pounds is not as crazy as you think. I filled out intentionally from 180-200, which was hard, but then put on another 20+ with little effort. I don't think it's all fat either. Even my buoyancy changed and I don't float as easily now. All at once it's crazy, not as a gradual change aided by natural tendencies. It is totally fair however that he may not be a good fit as a 205er, or may not bulk well.