Remember when Izzy made that middle finger koolaid dance permanent?

Caught me mid-cheers at the pub with a pint halfway to my mouth when that back-spin nightmare landed, screen froze like we’d lost WiFi 🤬💥 whole bar went dead silent for a heartbeat then erupted like we’d scored a last-gasp winner in stoppage time

ever wonder what went through paulo costa’s head when he stood up after that spin? dude just shook it off like it was a light tap—until the replay came on and his face went "wait, what the *actual*"😭 then he did that little laugh-and-cringe thing that made us all lose it even harder because how do you even respond to that kind of perfection

You ever consider how our boy shifts gears without losing that same quiet confidence? The 2019 version packed a different kind of buzz—raw, unpredictable, every round felt like walking a tightrope. Iza had that hunger stamped all over him; nothing seemed beyond reach, but it always looked like he was learning on the fly. Now the squad still moves with purpose, yet there's a measured rhythm to it. Every win feels like ticking boxes rather than chasing ghosts. Less fireworks, more surgical. I wouldn't say we lost edge, more like the edge got sharpened. Still turns heads when he steps in, still leaves opponents staring at replays trying to work out what just deleted them.

When I watched that Costa fight in person on the big screen at the pub, I was nursing my third pint and half-listening to some lad go on about how Izzy’s footwork was "too showy" to stay effective. Next thing I know he’s spinning like a top, flicking that left hand over his shoulder like he’s swatting a fly at 3am, and the bloke’s legs folded under him slower than a deckchair collapsing in slow motion. Dead air for exactly one Mississippi—then my pint hit the floor before I even thought about moving. The lads next to me swear they saw a tiny spark come off that glove when it landed, like a lighter flicked in the dark.

Those Costa replays still give me the sweats every time I watch 'em back like it’s happening now😅 just last week my mate dragged me to this dodgy pub in Dalston that screens old Izzy fights and when the spin landed we all FLYING off our stools like the whole place was on tilt🤯 pints flying, arms swinging, one bloke’s hat got launched straight into the karaoke machine which was *chef’s kiss*

Man we were all just punch-drunk on Kool-Aid that night watching the replays for the 20th time and my flatmate legit tried to call a landlord to see if he could buy one of those middle fingers off Izzy for the garden gnome to scare off pigeons 🌵🍿 now the gnome’s got a tiny fight glove permanently glued to its little fist and still only pigeons are scared but the crest feels right