Maybe Al Iaquinta never really was completely on board for the proposed UFC Fight Night 135 headlining bout against Justin Gaethje.
According to multiple reports, Iaquinta has withdrawn from his scheduled lightweight bout against Gaethje at Pinnacle Bank Arena in Lincoln, Neb. on Aug. 25. ESPN was the first to report Iaquinta’s exit. The promotion is currently seeking a replacement opponent for Gaethje.
“I can’t question Al’s heart,” Gaethje’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, told ESPN. “But at the end of the day, when you fight Justin, people have to think about it. I got nothing against Al, but it’s a tall order to fight Justin. When you go in there, you leave a piece of yourself in the cage. Some people don’t want to do that. If I’m a fighter I don’t want to fight that guy. I don’t know if this is a negotiation tactic from Al, but he is out.
“For the record, he called out Justin, Justin took the fight, and then he pulled out. It’s his business. UFC will find someone else to fight Justin, and it will be an exciting fight. It doesn’t matter who fights Justin, it could be a chair in there, it will be exciting.”
The UFC had only recently confirmed the bout after promotion president Dana White said that Iaquinta was “absolutely 100 percent out of the fight.” Iaquinta last appeared at UFC 223, where he dropped a five-round verdict to Khabib Nurmagomedov as a short-notice replacement in a lightweight title fight.
“The only comment I have is that you will have to ask Justin if the fight is happening or not,” Iaquinta told MMAjunkie.com. “I’m glad I’m not in a position here where I have to take fights under any condition like these other guys.”