Izzy or Anderson

[Paolo Delutis]

Comparing accolades is ridiculous, because Anderson fought at an infantile MW division. He got a title shot of a one win over Chris Leben, lol.

Izzy beat Anderson, Vettori, Gastelum, Brunson, Tavares and Wilkinson on his way to the title. Most of these guys are better than the guys Anderson defended his title against.

Anderson was great, but Izzy is overall the better fighter.

Lol.

Shits on Anderson's accolades ..


Then proceeds to use Anderson to boost up Izzy's own accolades. ..

 

[Tweak896]

I think it's a bit unfair. Silva was a pioneer developing new ground in MMA and the game was way different than Izzy's era. Training itself is much better today, and Silva had a focus on BJJ for his ground game because that was the meta at the time. Izzy is a very technical kickboxer, and probably would of beat Silva in a points battle, but if there is a finish it's probably Silva with a creative ending. We'll never know what it would be like if Silva just trained a defensive ground/grappling game that they do today and spent even more time on striking.

On the flip side, I hate to bring this up but also we're comparing pre-USADA fighters to post, and perhaps Izzy might have looked quite more powerful under different regulations for drug testing. Same way I think it's unfair to compare how fighters were in Pride compared to fighters today, there were different standards for testing.

 

[chinarice]

It's really close. Izzy has put in the work. In ways Anderson is better than Izzy and vice versa and anyone that says otherwise is just biased.

Silva is still ahead from a MMA-legacy standpoint but Izzy is quickly closing in.

 

[VonSupervillain]

It's easily Anderson; not even close. Silva didn't lose the championship in the middle of his prime. Silva had a much more spectacular finish rate and ability. Silva actually moved up to LHW and finished all of his opponents. Silva faced and defeated several of MMA's best grapplers.

 

[Lost_Cause]

Guessing anyone that legitimately doesn’t know the answer(OR, thinks the answer is Izzy), is young.

 

[SenorKnowsAlot]

He's failed 2 tests, pissed hot against Nick Diaz and Gastelum.

Now for the thread question, difficult one... I really dislike Izzy and I was pissed when he managed to beat Pereira after losing 3 times to the Brazilian... I've never rooted for the guy IIRC.

But Adesanya never pissed hot, nevermind twice, and that's an important distinction. Plus, the 2 actually fought, and despite Israel clearly taking it easy on Silva, he still walked away with a comfy decision.
Tis a shame that the fight was only 3 rounds long despite being the main event, but since they prepared for a 3 rounder I guess it makes sense... I would have just liked to see a more definitive victory/stoppage, and had Silva made weight, IIRC the fight would have been for the interim MW title.

It was still a fun fight, plenty of great moments; it seems to have lost its popularity with time though...
Anderson making sure the cage is OK after kneeing it was wholesome

Izzy trying to imitate Chris Weidman was cool, but he lacked the powa

Anderson had a great UFC run after struggling in PRIDE, but Israel's UFC competition was a liiiittle bit better IMHO
Just a little bit.



Lemme try lemme try!...


vs






Anyway, Anderson is more of my generation than Izzy, which makes me feel old as shit since Adesanya had been fighting in the UFC for 5 years now.
So I'm going with The Spider for this one

Someone's on Israel D hard.

 

[mountainbubs]

Fake story, but you already know the answer: It's Anderson.

He was well past his prime when they fought and still managed to take a round.

Silva's timing, speed, reflexes, and creativity were on another level. He was doing matrix shit in there, shit that fans hadn't seen before or even thought of. He fought wrestlers and grapplers and submitted them and even had time for side quests at 205 when the UFC asked him to. (Remember, each fight at 205 was at the request of the UFC.)

Hey! why would you think this is fake lol? just saw this. I can send you screenshots of years of this argument with my buddy who was lurking in this thread when it was posted. "Fake story, but" gives reddit cringe vibes

 

[moreorless87]

Izzy was getting close when he beat Alex in the rematch, if he'd have taken a third fight and won it I think he might have a case but ducking it and losing like he did he's now a good deal behind IMHO.

 

[PeterGriffin]

I believe Prime Silva smokes Israel 9/10 times.

Weidman cracked Silva's chin catching Silva showboating and then Silva breaking his leg (in a manner that seemed much worse than Conor's) in his chance at redemption was the final nail in the coffin. Two years later Silva pisses hot. Who knows, maybe Silva just had picos in his system from using them to heal his leg instead of trying to bulk up? But Prime Silva was gone the second Weidman bounced his head off the canvas. With every success that Silva had, he became a little cockier and it was a huge part in his own undoing, and Weidman made him pay the piper.

Even past-his-prime Silva still made things competitive with Cormier, Bisping and Adesanya (total srcrubs, right?).

The three times Silva was bored and fought at LHW? Three excellent first round finishes, and every one of his opponents pissed hot.

There is not one name on Adesanya's resume that Prime-Silva would not have spanked like a little bitch. And if Silva went out on top like GSP did and did not fight longer than he should have, there would not even be a comparison between Adesanya and Silva at all, that broken leg would be enough for anyone to call it a career. Silva would (rightfully so) be discussed like Fedor, Jones and GSP.

The UFC used Silva to put Adesanya over, just like they are doing with Stipe by feeding him to Jones.

 

[Nabs]

Not even close!

 

[Senzo Tanaka]

Anderson. Roughly a 10 year run.

Izzy just had a good run and was the best in his division for a bit. The UFC hype machine really got people to believe he's the best of all time. He's very good and maybe as an actual fighter, he might be better than Anderson. But resume and longevity, he's isn't there. Now considering Anderson ruined the last half of his career, Izzy surpass him if he keeps fighting and wins the title again.

 

[Streeter]

What area l is Izzy ever been better thsn prime Anderson?

 

[Clark Rogers]

Your friend has a classic case of recency bias.

Andersons reign was just objectively better, and I'm not even knocking Izzy. Their fight, Izzy in his prime, Anderson well out of his, doesn't mean much in terms of whose legacy is more impressive, imo.

 

[Nobru]

I've been in a war with my buddy since Izzy beat Anderson about who the greatest 185er is, the discussion is kind of dead locked where every time I point out how much better Anderson was than his contemporaries it doesn't matter because Izzy won 2 rounds of a decision when he was 40. Am I a jackass holding on to the past or is my buddy a newfan that didn't feel what this vid made us feel?

Anderson by MILES
I cant imagine prime anderson being dominated on the feet by strickland.

 

[HavokHarmon]

Your buddy must be a new fan.

Silva was special not just because of the level of competition he faced or how much better he was, but because those things are true AND he had multiple high level fights where he looked downright supernatural compared to his opponent. Very few guys can do that with any level of consistency, and even fewer can do it while staying at the top of the mountain. Izzy beat some great fighters and resume is an argument all on its own, but Silva made it look like his opponent would have needed to bring a gun in order to win it was so one sided.

 

[filthybliss]

Resume wise Anderson is stlll ahead. He was much more dominant against a comparable level of competition.

Head to head match up wise though, Izzy would have always been a serious problem for Anderson.

comparable comp is reaching it. whitaker and poatan are better than any of the fighters that Anderson fought except maybe Chael?

still think that anderson is better though, don't see him losing to someone like strickland and the fact that in his grandpa form was able to survive 3 rounds with Izzy says enough. He also has the attribute of having a ground game which is nonexistent in Izzy's arsenal.

 

[Poatan Power]

comparable comp is reaching it. whitaker and poatan are better than any of the fighters that Anderson fought except maybe Chael?

still think that anderson is better though, don't see him losing to someone like strickland and the fact that in his grandpa form was able to survive 3 rounds with Izzy says enough. He also has the attribute of having a ground game which is nonexistent in Izzy's arsenal.

Nice bump.

I guess beating multiple PRIDE, UFC and Strikeforce champions (Hendo, Diaz, Vitor, Forrest, Franklin) isn't as impressive as beating Whitaker (never won an undisputed title fight) and going like 1-6 against Alex lifetime. If you're seriously saying Whittaker and Poatan are higher in MMA than Dan Fucking Henderson you have lost your absolute new account batshit mind.

 

[TR1]

We need Izzy to fight Jake Paul to make this comparison fair and accurate.

 

[BlankaPresident]

Anderson > Izzy
GSP > Usman
Aldo > Volk

I don't know if it's crazy recency bias but in honesty those 3 shouldn't even be a discussion.

Kids these days know nothing.

 

[SalvadorAllende]

He wasn't clean though

And Izzy developed gyno at 30 something years old because of weed.

LOL.. both guys were on some special shit.