Al Iaquinta came on strong in the championship rounds to win a unanimous decision against Kevin Lee in the main event of UFC Milwaukee.
In the main event of UFC on FOX 31, Al Iaquinta found success in the championship rounds to beat Kevin Lee for the second time by unanimous decision.
What was the high point of the fight?
In a fairly uneventful first round, Lee frequently changed his stances and did well fighting behind his jab. Lee wrapped up a strong bodylock as he dragged Iaquinta to the ground and secured the body triangle, but ‘Raging Al’ did a good job of defending and getting back to his feet.
A couple of hard right hands from Iaquinta, and a head kick, troubled Lee at the beginning of the fourth round. He continued his success into the fifth round, stuffing Lee’s takedown attempts then landing some heavy punches on the feet.
Where do these two go from here?
It’s a major setback for Lee, who prior to this fight picked up a one-sided win over top lightweight contender Edson Barboza. A win in this fight would have put Lee back into title contention, but now he will have to prove his worth again before getting a title shot. Fights with either Justin Gaethje or Anthony Pettis make sense for Lee.
Al Iaquinta finally got the big win to prove he is a legit threat at 155-pounds. He will inevitably be bumped up into the top-five of the lightweight division with this win, but he will need at least one more fight before he is warranted a shot at the belt. Dustin Poirier doesn’t have a fight booked at the moment, so that would be a good one for Iaquinta.
Watch it now, later or never?
Watch it now, as it was a competitive, back-and-forth fight that earned Iaquinta his first career post-fight bonus.
Lee vs Iaquinta 2, our crew breaks down this main event! pic.twitter.com/hMa2RzzKZn
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) December 16, 2018