When Conor McGregor made his return to the UFC in October, he cut a very different figure from the young, hungry kid from Dublin with ambitions of making it big in the world of MMA. While the 24-year-old had a tangible sense of urgency to ‘take care of business’ and rise through the ranks, the 30-year-old version seemed more concerned with hocking his brand of whiskey.
The past two years have been very interesting for McGregor. In Nov. 2016, “The Notorious” became the first fighter in the history of the promotion to win two titles in separate weight classes at the same time. McGregor made history in the first ever event at Madison Square Garden, then effectively took a sabbatical from the sport in order to prepare for the birth of his first child.
The following summer, McGregor did the impossible and secured a boxing bout against the legendary Floyd “Money” Mayweather, making an estimated $100 million in the process. With more than enough money to never fight again, the Irishman was pictured clearly enjoying the spoils of war.
Months of controversy ensued, however, including a rumored falling out with Dublin-based gangsters, assault charges, jumping the fence at a Bellator show in Dublin and attacking a bus (with Khabib Nurmagomedov onboard) with a dolly. McGregor landed a fight with the UFC lightweight champion and was no match for the powerful and peed off Dagestani grappling icon.
When we think of formidable opponents, perhaps no one on the UFC roster deserves such a description as Nurmagomedov. The Russian is 27-0 and is as close to being one of the most dominant fighters in UFC history. While McGregor’s Achilles heel is undoubtedly his floor game, respect must be given for fighting Khabb in the first place. To say he was absolutely overwhelmed, however, would be an understatement.
The most entertaining part of the fight was, unsurprisingly for McGregor, the pre-fight antics. McGregor played the part of the villain/hero (depending on your alliances) pretty well, targeting the Russian’s background, religion, and association to polarizing figures in his homeland and in his camp.
In response to those who argued that he didn’t need to come back to make any more money, McGregor stated:
“I came back for the love of this, to shut this man up. This rat. This weasel.
“A man who grows in numbers but when confronted on his own cowers away, that’s what you saw on the bus. He s*** his jocks. I came back for the love of fighting and the love of war. I am going to enjoy putting a beating on this glass-jawed rat.”
Ironically, Khabib – a man not known for his striking on the feet – dropped McGregor with a sweet right hand in Round 2. If anything summed up the Crumlin-native’s night, it was that overhand right.
McGregor looked a little silly, especially since he lambasted Nurmagomedov’s performance against part-time real estate agent, Al Iaquinta:
“Now, you’re up on the real shit kid, you’re with the real dogs now. Your fake belt over there, you beat the guy ranked No.11 [Iaquinta] – a real estate agent. You bring that belt up on stage like it’s a real belt? You’re a phony, a fake and I’m going to expose you. You’re going to be smoked on October 6 and I am going to love every second of it.”
McGregor was no match for Khabib, nor Iaquinta, who put on an excellent performance – albeit in a loss – at UFC 223’s bout for the vacant lightweight title that was stripped from “The Notorious.”
“Raging” Al Iaquinta has not had the easiest of rides with the UFC over the years. Despite having the tools to go far in the division, contractual disputes with the promotion saw him out of action for two years prior to his return against Diego Sanchez in April 2017. Iaquinta was given a shot at Khabib due to an injury suffered by interim champion Tony Ferguson and Holloway’s inability to step in.
Even if Iaquinta had won the fight, he would not have won the title given that he weighed in at .2 of a pound over the 155-pound weight limit. Needless to say, if Iaquinta did pull the win out of the bag, he would have been given a rematch for the title further down the line. He lost the fight via unanimous decision, but his performance earned him massive praise in the MMA community which saw his stock rise as a result.
Iaquinta was matched up against rising star Kevin Lee earlier this month. While many favored Lee to avenge his defeat to the New Yorker, Iaquinta dominated on his way to a Performance of the Night, unanimous decision victory over the “Motown Phenom.” The win moved Iaquinta further up the rankings and set him up with potential bouts against the biggest names in the division.
For Iaquinta, there is only one name that matters to him, and that is Conor McGregor. Following his victory over Lee, Iaquinta called out McGregor:
“With the right preparation and the right fight, I can beat anyone in the lightweight division,” he said. “If Conor thinks he is getting a rematch before me, I think that’s some nonsense. I’m the guy he has to get through if he wants a rematch (against Nurmagomedov). I’m the guy.
Iaquinta later stated:
“No immediate rematch for him. He tapped out. I took it like a man on a weeks’ notice. He had all the time in the world to prepare and he wanted a way out. I’m the f***ing guy in this division.”
“He shit on me a little bit in the lead up to the Khabib fight, saying ‘you just beat a real estate agent’. Dude shut the f*** up. He’s been given the best opponents his whole UFC career. He’s been given the most money. He’s been given everything!”
Clearly, Iaquinta has a bone to pick with McGregor and would love for nothing more than a shot at the Dubliner. Of course, a victory over McGregor would see him heralded as one of the best fighters in the 155-pound division but even a loss would make him more money than he can dream of, due to McGregor’s ability to pull in major pay-per-view buys. It is truly a win-win scenario for the 31-year-old.
In my humble opinion, this fight makes absolute sense. Iaquinta is on the rise and McGregor’s stock has dropped due to his loss against Khabib. There is one fighter that links both men right now and that is Iaquinta. The American’s performance against Khabib was a lot better than what McGregor could muster up and this certainly made him look even worse in the aftermath of the bout. Iaquinta’s performance was frequently brought up by analysts to prove several points, none of which favored the Irishman.
Of course, fans of McGregor might argue that the fight offers no value for McGregor. Iaquinta is not a big enough name among casual fans, meaning that pay-per-view numbers would not be as high in comparison to other names out there, such as Nate Diaz or Max Holloway. On the other hand, McGregor could raise his stock a little by getting back into the winning column against Iaquinta.
In terms of promoting true competition in the UFC, a McGregor vs. Iaquinta bout could be just the ticket to get the wheels in motion for a potential rematch between “The Notorious” and “The Eagle.” If McGregor beats Iaquinta – the man who believes he is next in line for a shot at the title – he immediately becomes the favorite to fight Khabib. Make no mistake, the UFC could easily just give him the rematch but this way, they can justify it with minimal complaints.
Well, there will invariably be protests from the real #2 in the division, Tony Ferguson. However, with four fights scheduled – and four fights scrapped – between the two, Dana White is reluctant to pencil in the most highly anticipated bout in the promotion for fear that it could fall through again. That is the fight that most fans want, but in the case that it doesn’t happen, McGregor or Iaquinta would likely have the next shot.
Providing the UFC put the feelers out, allow for the creation of some tension between both men, and, of course, number crunch, we could see this fight happen. McGregor vs. Iaquinta is certainly a fight that interests some hardcore fans, especially those who would love to see Iaquinta pull off the win (or rather, McGregor lose).
Ray Longo, Iaquinta’s coach, is fully behind the fight happening. That is perhaps no surprise, but speaking to some MMA crazy friends of mine, there seems to be genuine interest. While McGregor vs. Diaz III, McGregor vs. Holloway II, or even McGregor vs. Aldo II would generate a higher buzz, this fight does make sense as it gives “The Notorious” a clear pathway to another title shot.
That being said, a win gives Iaquinta the rights to claim a title shot himself. It is effectively a title eliminator bout, as much as Tony Ferguson would probably tear his hair out to hear it. These are the last two men to fight the champion – and even though they were both beaten – they have to be two of the top three candidates in the division (the other being “El Cucuy) to fight the Russian superstar.
The UFC is a business and will typically do everything in line with what makes the most sense, from a commercial perspective. Conor McGregor could be matched up against a broom and still pull in millions of buys. However, with a limited number of fights on his contract, the promotion will want to ensure that they can get as much value, down to the last cent, that they can from those bouts.
Iaquinta is not a household name. In fact, he is not really known to those outside of the hardcore MMA fanbase. Yes, his stock is rising and his reputation has really grown over the past year, but he still has a lot of work to do before he can hit the commercial heights of other fighters on the roster. The key question that Dana White and co. will ponder over is how paying fans will receive the matchup.
As UFC fans will know, rivalries can be created from nowhere. Nate Diaz called McGregor out following a win over Michael Johnson, seemingly out of nowhere. The following year, both men engaged in two bouts that ended up setting records as the highest grossing fights in the history of the promotion. The difference between Al Iaquinta and Nate Diaz, however, is that the latter was a longtime fan favorite.
Iaquinta’s fanbase is not as cult-like or large enough to suggest that a bout with McGregor would raise the same level of interest. McGregor isn’t the same fighter, either. Prior to his first bout with Diaz, the 30-year-old was unbeaten in the UFC and had an air of invincibility that was endearing to fans. With two losses on his record and a lengthy absence from the sport, it might feel as though the Irishman is approaching the end of his career.
This fight has everything that a true MMA fan would want. McGregor and Iaquinta is a great matchup, featuring two tough fighters with great skillsets. The Irishman can put himself in a great place with a win over a fighter riding high on confidence and prove to fans that he still has it. Iaquinta can change his life with a win and go after Nurmagomedov again for that title.
There are more pros that cons when it comes to this fight. It can and should happen in 2019.
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