Al Iaquinta and former two division UFC champion Conor McGregor both fought UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, both of them also lost to the lightweight kingpin.
The New York native, who took the fight against Nurmagomedov on a few days notice, lasted five full rounds and he wonders why McGregor, who had a full training camp, got submitted in the fourth round.
“I took a five-round fight on a three-round camp, and I went the distance,” he said to MMA Junkie Radio. “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.”
Iaquinta fought Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 and McGregor had his shot against Nurmagomedov at UFC 229.
McGregor has been the face of the UFC and possibly all of MMA for several years now, but Iaquinta believes the fighter is getting out of control.
“I was a big fan, but I think he’s getting a little out of control now,” Iaquinta said. “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 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.”
There is no word yet on when either fighter may get back into the Octagon, but they are ranked #2 and #4 respectively, meaning a bout between them is a possibility.
