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Al Iaquinta is all set to take on Dan Hooker in the co-main event of UFC 243. Ahead of the big fight in the land down under, Iaquinta spoke to Bloody Elbow, who asked him about Justin Gaethje's comments.
For context, here is what rising contender Justin Gaethje said about Raging Al:
"Nobody is getting out of there easy in the top five or top 10 unless you’re fighting Al [Iaquinta] or f—king [Paul] Felder. That’s your only way out.”
"I don't think I'm an easy fight on any day"
When asked about Justin Gaethje's comments, Al Iaquinta told Bloody Elbow that he disagrees, saying:
"I don't think I'm an easy fight on any day"
He revealed that two weeks after his fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov last year, Iaquinta was offered a main event fight against Gaethje.
“We were supposed to fight and I told the UFC what was a reasonable number to fight him.”
Iaquinta revealed that he didn't like the offer that was given to him, especially since he was still recovering from an injury and had PRP injections. He said that anybody who knows him knows he's not a pushover and that he will get what he is worth.
He did, however, show respect to Gaethje and stated that the fight needs to happen at some point, but he won't be getting ripped off to fight him:
“Listen, Justin Gaethje is a tough fighter and I respect him tremendously. I would love to fight him. You saw what he did to his last three opponents. He’s a tough fighter."
He stated that once he beats Dan Hooker, he'll see what happens. A win over Hooker would definitely put him back into contention, but he'll probably need another major win before even being considered for a title shot.
Right now, the Lightweight division is stacked and it seems as though Justin Gaethje is next in line for a title shot after Tony Ferguson. Gaethje stated that he will wait it out to get a title shot, but a good amount of money can change that.
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