Was Al Iaquinta top 5 material between 2015-2018?

[scytheavatar]

His skills are good and he underperforms frequently. Think if he went through intense training and focus he could take the title (probably not from khabib). Definitely was top 5 in a couple snapshots of the LW division.

He's one dimensional, he has incredible takedown defense and crisp jabs. But his movement is awful and he has little ways to get in on opponents who can pick him apart from the distance. Which is how Cowboy destroyed him.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

By any measure, no.

After winning 4 fights in 10 months, he wasn't even top 10 (source, source). Then he held out for more money the next 2 years - as is his right, but he doesn't get rankings credit for fights he probably could have won IF he'd fought.

Winning in 2017 got him into the top 10 only because Benson, MJ, Thomson, Jury, Green and others left the top 10. And it was controversial then too.

Good fighter. Beating Lauzon is a hell of an accomplishment. And maybe if he'd kept fighting those 2 years he could have put it all together.

 

[G10]

I think when Iaquinta was at his best, he would've had a good argument for being somewhere in the top 10 (by that, 6-10). Keep in mind, Kevin Lee at his best is a fringe top 5 contender. Iaquinta is good enough to beat him, but that appears to be as high as he would ever go. It's a shame that he wasted a lot of years beefing with the UFC (don't blame him, because that summit thing is BS), because he might've been able to prove more.

As for the Masvidal fight, no one in their right mind could say Iaquinta won that. I think that should go down as one of the worst robberies in modern UFC history.

 

[CTE_Fan]

I think he's definitely up there. Underrated wrestling and toughness. I would have loved to see him fight Connor

 

[sampuncher]

I think he's definitely up there. Underrated wrestling and toughness. I would have loved to see him fight Connor

Conor would have smoked him if i'm honest. Conor would be a pretty bad match up for him.

 

[CasualBot]

Khabib could not finish.

Goat my ass

 

[true_fan]

Is this a thinly veiled Khabib hate or dickridering post?

 

[mkt]

His skills are good and he underperforms frequently. Think if he went through intense training and focus he could take the title (probably not from khabib). Definitely was top 5 in a couple snapshots of the LW division.

I don't see him beating Poirier, Gaethje or Conor, unless one of the latter two gasses badly. Cerrone outstruck him and Masvidal completely had his way with Al until he stopped fighting and started coasting. Hooker also beat him. Iaquinta has decent, serviceable striking but nothing great. Maybe if he really trained (I think he still works as a realtor part time?) he'd do a bit better, but I don't see him running through all the LWs. I only see him winning a belt if he's in some unusual situation...maybe a last-minute replacement in a title fight and Al wins because the other guy gasses.