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What's the story?
Number four ranked UFC lightweight contender, Al Iaquinta, in his words, feels as though 'Conor McGregor is getting out of control. 'Raging' Al recently spoke to MMAJunkie radio, where he confessed about his beliefs of being a superior competitor when compared to the UFC's biggest pay-per-view superstar, Conor McGregor.
In case you didn't know..
Al Iaquinta is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently competing in the UFC's lightweight division. His last competition in the Octagon came in the form of a unanimous decision win, at UFC Milwaukee's main event, against a formidable opponent in Kevin Lee. Iaquinta has been highly regarded by many MMA experts, in the past, for going five full rounds with the current UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, on a mere three days notice.
Renowned mixed martial arts coach, Firas Zahabi, and UFC commentator, Joe Rogan, had a few critical comments to make about Conor McGregor's most recent outing against the champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor seemed outclassed for the majority part of the fight by Khabib, before eventually falling prey to a vicious neck crank submission in round number four of the championship bout. 'The Notorious One' was seen making challenging comments in response to the expert's opinions on his latest performance, subjecting him to yet another off-field controversy.
The heart of the matter
In a recent interview with MMAJunkie radio, Al Iaquinta was seen being candid in his outtake on the UFC's number one pay-per-view attraction, Conor McGregor. He said:
“I was a big fan, but I think he’s getting a little out of control now. I thought he was the guy that would kind of do what he did but stay true to the martial arts. It seemed like, in the beginning, he was really kind of like the martial arts way, do the right thing, respect your fellow competitors, ‘we’re all in this’ kind of thing."
“His goal set out to be the best, and now that he is the best and he’s got a lot of money, I just think he’s a little out of control.”
Iaquinta further went on to compare his own performance with that of McGregor's, in their respective fights against Khabib. Having taken a championship matchup against an unbeaten opponent in Khabib, on just a three-day notice, Iaquinta said:
“I took a five-round fight on a three-round camp, and I went the distance. What’s his excuse? He looked way more tired in the third than I was in the fifth, and I didn’t train for five. That says a lot.”
What's next?
The UFC is currently waiting on the Nevada State Athletic Commission's hearings in regards to the legal obligations concerning Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, for their respective roles in the UFC 229 post-fight melee.
In the case of McGregor's early return to the Octagon, do you think a fight against Al Iaquinta could virtually be on the cards?
Be sure to leave your thoughts, opinions, and predictions in the comments section below!
