Al Iaquinta on Why He’s “The Guy” For Rematch With Khabib Nurmagomedov, Not Conor McGregor

It remains to be seen what’s next for Khabib Nurmagomedov, but according to Al Iaquinta, he, and not Conor McGregor, deserves another crack at the lightweight champ.

Nurmagomedov and McGregor are still waiting to find out what sort of disciplinary action they receive, on account of the post-fight brawl that occurred at UFC 229, after Khabib submitted the challenger. Since the massive fight, there’s been extensive discussion as to whether McGregor might be booked for a rematch with the champ.

But, following Iaquinta’s decision win over Kevin Lee on Saturday at UFC Milwaukee, ‘Raging Al’ had this to say about that possibility (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“If Conor thinks he’s getting a rematch before me, I think that’s some nonsense,” Iaquinta said.

“I’m the guy who if he wants to get a rematch, I’m the guy,” Iaquinta added, beforereferring to his decision loss to Nurmagomedov back in April. “No immediate rematch for him, he tapped out. I took it like man on a week’s notice, he had all the time in the world to prepare, and he wanted a way out.”

There you have it. Since UFC 229, Dana White has said a couple of times that he thinks Tony Ferguson should be next for Nurmagomedov. Khabib, meanwhile, has argued that Dustin Poirier and Ferguson are the most deserving for a title shot. So, it could very well be that neither Conor or Al are next for the champion.