Back in April of 2018, Al Iaquinta was given a shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov after Max Holloway dropped out of UFC 223 at the last second. Iaquinta was given only a day to prepare for the fight and after not fighting in three years, no one gave him a shot to win. Khabib ultimately won the fight but UFC fans were impressed with Iaquinta as he survived all five rounds of the match.
Iaquinta will be back in the Octagon on Saturday, May 4th when he takes Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone for "UFC Fight Night." Iaquinta is excited to get to show off what he can do in the fight and is hoping that his performance will lead to a rematch with Nurmagomedov. The fourth-ranked lightweight fighter in the UFC spoke to TMZ Sports about the idea of fighting Khabib again.
"I fought Khabib not only on a day's notice but also after fighting 90 seconds in 3 years," Iaquinta said. "So it was short notice and a huge layoff."
If Iaquinta were able to defeat Cerrone, he feels as though he'd be able to give Khabib a run for his money, especially if he's given adequate time to prepare. Having survived five rounds on just one day of prep, Iaquinta firmly believes he has a great chance at beating him.
Would you be interested in seeing this rematch?
