(( Myth )): Izzy is "Better Technically" than Alex ... Not So

[DistanceControl]

It's important to note that Izzy regularly lost to high ranked fighters in his kickboxing division, whereas Pereira defeated those guys, and spent several years honing his striking game while Izzy spent that time improving his overall MMA skillsets. Pereira even went above and beyond by succeeding in an additional division in Glory. While Izzy and Pereira's kickboxing divisions are pretty shallow (especially compared to 71kg and below), Pereira's striking accomplishments are nonetheless very impressive.

Izzy was always an intelligent and versatile fighter, so I wasn't surprised to see him put up such a good fight. However, I also wasn't shocked to see Pereira outstrike him and ultimately put an end to his reign. Pereira in their third fight was a much better, more knowledgeable, and technical striker than anything Adesanya had encountered.

As a striking war - which this bout mostly was - it was Izzy's fight to lose.

 

[ServantofGOD]

There is a pervasive opinion, that Israel Adesanya is a "better" or "more technical" kickboxer than Alex Pereira, and that Alex just has "more power."

This is flat-out untrue.

The truth is, Alex Pereira is better everywhere (technically speaking) than Israel Adesanya. From correctly-throwing punches, with leverage, to kicking & checking kicks, to knees and flying knees (especially switch-knees), Alex Pereira is by far the better technical striker than Adesanya — as his professional record (and multiple world titles in kickboxing) clearly demonstrate.

The only advantage Israel Adesanya has over Pereira is speed & movement, not skills. Alex is slower, more deliberate, more methodical, and more sustained. Izzy is just able to dart in-and-out so fast.

Literally, the fight between them was the proverbial the tortoise vs. the rabbit — with the rabbit slowing down in the end and losing the race. Over and over, the result will always be the same.

If you actually watch and rewatch that last fight, Alex systematically broke Israel Adesanya down, with a sustained body and leg attack. If you watch the punch stats, Alex rarely went for the head during the first few rounds. He actually out-landed Adesanya, in every round, if you look at the body and leg stats. It was the perfect game plan.

Yeah, Izzy won the head stats, at least he did in the beginning.

The fight basically went exactly as I thought it would go (sans the third and fourth rounds). I figured Izzy would be ahead early, would slow down in the middle-to late rounds, and would eventually get caught and obliterated by Alex.

I actually thought it would be Alex who would win the ground game, so Izzy dominating in the third was a surprise — but the end result was exactly the same as what I thought it would be: GRAPPLING EXCHANGES WOULD SLOW IZZY DOWN ... and make him ripe for the picking for Alex's power shots.

And that's exactly what happened.

Have to give Israel Adesanya credit for being a capable champion. But all throughout Israel Adesanya's UFC career, he has enjoyed a height advantage, a reach advantage, a kickboxing advantage, and a speed advantage ... which is precisely why he has remained undefeated, until now.

Against Alex Pereira, Israel Adesanya no longer had a height advantage, no longer had a reach advantage, no longer had kickboxing advantage — the only thing he had left was his speed advantage — which slowly got taken from him, and ended in the fifth round.

Pereira's equal physical stature, combined with his superior kickboxing, superior technique, and superior power finally caught up with Adesanya, and the longer any fight goes between these two, the result will always be the same.

Izzy's speed will only carry him so far against the better, stronger, more powerful, more technically-polished veteran kickboxer with superior physical attributes that is Alex Pereira.

That's my $0.02 ...

Well also Alex had an injury going into that fight that took away some of his ability to grapple and some of his speed

So Alex wins quicker in the rematch

 

[Chael_Sonnen]

I'm gonna copy and paste a post I said in another thread cause I think its relevant here.

Izzy is going to have a much tougher time next time around, for a couple of reasons.

1: Alex won't make the same mistake he did going for the trip that Izzy reversed to get the TD in round 3. The next fight will be purely kickboxing with clinching.

2: Alex made key adjustments towards the later rounds, he will come in with a better game plan that reflects those changes.

Handfighting is something that is relatively new to Pereira, you can't handfight the same way in kickboxing.

For instance, he started backing Izzy up right away, but only started going to the body to counter the hand fighting that Izzy did in the second and third round, and really started going to the body in the 4th and 5th. Izzy won't be able to handfight the same way, which was a key part of Izzy's defense while backed to the cage. He also started to go for the legs while Izzy was backed up to the cage and trying to handfight.

Other adjustments include the use of the jab and straight when Izzy was backed to the cage. He also started to figure out Izzy's movement patterns towards the end there, which was how he got the finishing sequence (Izzy's legs being compromised was also a reason).

Adjustments Izzy can make:

Utilize more body kicks, those were working. Leg kick less and body kick more, as the leg kicks were being checked and that limited Izzy's movement potential.

Handfight more in open space, not just when he is already backed up to the cage. He desperately needs to avoid being backed up to the cage, because Pereira will capitalize better than he did last time. Handfighting in open space can slow that process down significantly, and doing it in open space is less likely to get hit to the body and the legs in comparison to doing when you are right on the cage.

Use the jab more, and double up on it occasionally. If I could give one criticism of Izzy it would be that I find his jab is rather one dimensional. He only throws it from a particular stance and while relatively stationary (He does step in but not very far). If he used more of an in and out darting jab it would serve him better against Pereira, who like to frame with his hands which can leave him open to a darting jab or double jab.

His jab was working as is against Pereira, so with a few adjustments I think it can be even more useful. The few times he threw a solid darting jab at 4:11 in the third round and 3:47 and 3:21 in round 4 they landed cleanly.

Also using the body jab more, the few times he threw it it was effective and landed. Not a damaging strike, but keeps the activity and the range finding going on.

This all being said, it will be possible for Izzy to win in a rematch, but I think it will be significantly harder than the last time.

At some point I will do a whole writeup on my thoughts about the fight and the matchup, but for now those are my preliminary thoughts.

 

[Paolo Delutis]

Alex ended the 5th rd saving izy tko. The ref saved izy from. Cte or brain damage. Alex can3 forward like thr terminator and walked through Izy striking. Nobody else had done that.

None of this has anything to do with superior technique...maybe toughness or size but not technique

 

[chimpoehurricane]

None of this has anything to do with superior technique...maybe toughness or size but not technique

Someone else posted Alex as being "sloppy" in a thread. Then Alex knocked out Izy and ended the paddy cake era.

There are far too many neck beards living in their moms basement.

 

[chimpoehurricane]

I'm gonna copy and paste a post I said in another thread cause I think its relevant here.

Izzy is going to have a much tougher time next time around, for a couple of reasons.

1: Alex won't make the same mistake he did going for the trip that Izzy reversed to get the TD in round 3. The next fight will be purely kickboxing with clinching.

2: Alex made key adjustments towards the later rounds, he will come in with a better game plan that reflects those changes.

Handfighting is something that is relatively new to Pereira, you can't handfight the same way in kickboxing.

For instance, he started backing Izzy up right away, but only started going to the body to counter the hand fighting that Izzy did in the second and third round, and really started going to the body in the 4th and 5th. Izzy won't be able to handfight the same way, which was a key part of Izzy's defense while backed to the cage. He also started to go for the legs while Izzy was backed up to the cage and trying to handfight.

Other adjustments include the use of the jab and straight when Izzy was backed to the cage. He also started to figure out Izzy's movement patterns towards the end there, which was how he got the finishing sequence (Izzy's legs being compromised was also a reason).

Adjustments Izzy can make:

Utilize more body kicks, those were working. Leg kick less and body kick more, as the leg kicks were being checked and that limited Izzy's movement potential.

Handfight more in open space, not just when he is already backed up to the cage. He desperately needs to avoid being backed up to the cage, because Pereira will capitalize better than he did last time. Handfighting in open space can slow that process down significantly, and doing it in open space is less likely to get hit to the body and the legs in comparison to doing when you are right on the cage.

Use the jab more, and double up on it occasionally. If I could give one criticism of Izzy it would be that I find his jab is rather one dimensional. He only throws it from a particular stance and while relatively stationary (He does step in but not very far). If he used more of an in and out darting jab it would serve him better against Pereira, who like to frame with his hands which can leave him open to a darting jab or double jab.

His jab was working as is against Pereira, so with a few adjustments I think it can be even more useful. The few times he threw a solid darting jab at 4:11 in the third round and 3:47 and 3:21 in round 4 they landed cleanly.

Also using the body jab more, the few times he threw it it was effective and landed. Not a damaging strike, but keeps the activity and the range finding going on.

This all being said, it will be possible for Izzy to win in a rematch, but I think it will be significantly harder than the last time.

At some point I will do a whole writeup on my thoughts about the fight and the matchup, but for now those are my preliminary thoughts.

Izy has 1 hope and that's Alex getting old over night.

Paddy cake and on his bicycle atrophied his killer instinct. Izy got a away with coasting and playing it safe like GSP or snoozeman. It works until it doesn't. Hendrix retired gsp. Snoozeman got a trip to the shadow realm. Izy got thumped after being walked down.

Izy letting off Alex after the end of rd1 waa foolish. Coasting in 2nd rd. Letting Alex recover in the 4th instead of putting it on Alex. Izy looked like he wanted a time out in rd5.

Alex has incredible fight iq.

 

[Paolo Delutis]

Someone else posted Alex as being "sloppy" in a thread. Then Alex knocked out Izy and ended the paddy cake era.

There are far too many neck beards living in their moms basement.

U drunk or something ...wtf r u even talking about dude?

 

[chimpoehurricane]

U drunk or something ...wtf r u even talking about dude?

Reading isn't your strong suit. Your welcome

 

[Paolo Delutis]

Reading isn't your strong suit. Your welcome

Bro u quoted me ..

R u feeling ok ..

 

[13Seconds]

None of this has anything to do with superior technique...maybe toughness or size but not technique

Nah it was technique based. Effective cage cutting and footwork is technique.

 

[Paolo Delutis]

Nah it was technique based. Effective cage cutting and footwork is technique.

Ya walking into shots is a true technical approach to fighting.... I must have missed that

https://shortboxing.com/what-is-technical-boxing-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-style/

Have a read ...nothing about this speaks to Alex .. it does describe Izzy pretty good though

Footwork? .. Izzy is years ahead of him in footwork he's not more technical footwork wise then izzy

 

[Edward Henry Greb]

It's important to note that Izzy regularly lost to high ranked fighters in his kickboxing division, whereas Pereira defeated those guys, and spent several years honing his striking game while Izzy spent that time improving his overall MMA skillsets.

Pereira even went above and beyond by succeeding in an additional division in Glory. While Izzy and Pereira's kickboxing divisions are pretty shallow (especially compared to 71kg and below), Pereira's striking accomplishments are nonetheless very impressive.

Izzy was always an intelligent and versatile fighter, so I wasn't surprised to see him put up such a good fight. However, I also wasn't shocked to see Pereira outstrike him and ultimately put an end to his reign. Pereira in their third fight was a much better, more knowledgeable, and technical striker than anything Adesanya had encountered.

As a striking war - which this bout mostly was - it was Izzy's fight to lose.

This is pretty much the way it is.

Izzy is intelligent, athletic, and very quick... while Pereira is also intelligent, but fundamentally more sound, technically more schooled, and physically more powerful.

Izzy will always look competitive early in any fight, but (again, as with the tortoise and the hare fable) ... and Alex will always gain ground, and break Izzy down the longer the fight goes, due to the above.

 

[Poatan Power]

Who, in their right mind, is saying Izzy is a better technical kickboxer than Alex when he's 0-2 against Alex in kickboxing?

That's the thing about kickboxing. If you're better technically, you're pretty much going to win.

 

[13Seconds]

Ya walking into shots is a true technical approach to fighting.... I must have missed that

https://shortboxing.com/what-is-technical-boxing-all-you-need-to-know-about-this-style/

Have a read ...nothing about this speaks to Alex .. it does describe Izzy pretty good though

Footwork? .. Izzy is years ahead of him in footwork he's not more technical footwork wise then izzy

Interesting. You obviously don't know anything about striking, which is fine, but you don’t have to be so loud about it.

Walking into shots? What? You're probably talking about that sequence at the end of the first. And then?

I suggest you watch some of Alex kickboxing matches instead of reading about boxing techniques online. Not klicking that lol.

 

[Viva]

I don’t understand the notion that Adesanya is more skilled that Pereira.

They seem to be very evenly matched, with each holding small advantages in various categories.

Pereira is really just a brutal matchup for Adesanya until he improves his grappling.

 

[ScholarDayo]

If they had the same level of power I would favor Israel.

 

[HerpDerp]

To me, the concept of technicality is nothing more than an abstraction, so the whole debate essentially comes down to how one subjectively defines the term. What exactly does it mean when we say that elite striker A is "better technically" than elite striker B?

For instance, do we award more 'technicality points' to a fighter that displays an exceptionally versatile arsenal of striking techniques as opposed to a fighter that has an exceptionally limited toolkit, assuming that both fighters are equally dominant with their styles? Is it more technical to have clean punching mechanics than having the tightest high guard out there?

It's just meaningless.