Iaquinta questions conventional wisdom on Khabib vs. Conor

The consensus around UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. former champ Conor McGregor at UFC 229 is that if Conor can land cleanly on Khabib, he wins via KO, and that if he can’t, he loses by being put on his back and beat silly. However, Al Iaquinta, who is coming of a unanimous decision loss to Nurmagomedov for the vacant lightweight belt, is not so sure.

The worst-case scenario, I think he takes a few shots from Conor and just keeps coming forward, said Iaquinta to Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. I mean, Conor obviously has the power to put him out, but I don’t know – does he? I think a lot of people think he does, because he’s knocked a lot of people out, but Khabib is tough. He sees things, he’s got a little awkward style, which is different. It’s tough to adjust to, because it’s so different, standup-wise.

Khabib has been in there with Barboza. I hit people, I’ve hit everybody. I had a tough time hitting him, and when I did hit him, it didn’t have much of an effect on him. He’s got a different style. Like, Dustin Poirier has more of a conventional boxing style. When someone is doing conventional things, you kind of know what’s coming. With Khabib, it’s a little different.

I think [Nurmagomedov] could just get after him. Get after him, keep the pressure on him. Conor, he’s quit before. He’s given up. Against Diaz, it gets a little later rounds. I think he’s a pretty fighter. If the fight is pretty and it’s going good for him … Mendes took that fight on no notice. He had zero in the gas tank going into that fight. If it’s five rounds of that, I think Conor is finding a way out.

Iaquinta had one of the oddest paths to a title shot in league history. Nurmagomedov was supposed to fight Tony Ferguson for the belt, but during fight week, ‘El Cucuy’ injured his knee in a freak accident at a media event, and was out. UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway stepped up on days notice, but was forced to withdraw due to a bad weight cut. Then Iaquinta stepped up but he weighed in at 155.2 to fight Paul Felder, well under the 156 non-title fight lightweight limit but just shy of the championship cut off, so he wasn’t eligible for the belt with a win.

I think if I have a full training camp, it’s a totally different ball game, said Iaquinta. Totally different.

Iaquinta had voiced the desire to fight Ferguson, Anthony Pettis, or Kevin Lee next. With Ferguson and Pettis fighting in the co-main of UFC 229 on October 6, that leaves Lee. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani tweet earlier this week that the UFC wants to make that fight later this year.