Tag: Al Iaquinta

Over the weekend (Sat. December 15, 2018) Al Iaquinta picked up a big win over Kevin Lee in the main event of UFC on FOX 31.

Iaquinta recently had a five-fight win streak ended by Khabib Nurmagomedov. He was defeated via unanimous decision, but held his own better than one could hope to do against Khabib. “Ragin’” bounced back with a unanimous decision win over Lee in Milwaukee. He joined “The Ariel Helwani MMA Show” yesterday (Mon. December 17, 2018) to discuss his win.

The New Yorker admitted that, physically, Lee is one of the best fighters in the world. However, mentally, he doesn’t think “The Motown Phenom” will ever be on his level (via MMA News):

“Physically, there’s no reason Kevin Lee isn’t the best in the world,” Iaquinta said. “But I knew going in that mentality wise, he’s not there with me. I don’t think he ever will be. I think there’s a huge part of the lightweight roster that’s just never going to catch up to me on that side of things.

“So when he said “same old Al,” it was such a weak attempt at getting in my head. And I really just caught the ball and threw it right back in his face.”

Lee was once looked at as someone who could eventually win the UFC lightweight championship. That’s still certainly a possibility, but his defeat to Iaquinta certainly sets him back. After having a five-fight win streak ended against Tony Ferguson for an interim lightweight title, he rebounded with a dominant TKO win over Edson Barboza in April.

Now, with his loss to Iaquinta, Lee has been defeated in two of his last four fights. It will be interesting to see what’s next for Lee when he makes his return to the Octagon.

The post Al Iaquinta Says Kevin Lee ‘Will Never Be There Mentally’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

26-year-old UFC lightweight Kevin Lee was believed to be a bonafide title contender in the near future.

In fact, Lee has already competed for an interim 155-pound strap. After a five-fight win streak, Lee faced Tony Ferguson for the title. However, Lee suffered from a staph infection and didn’t compete to the best of his ability. Despite some strong early showings, Lee was submitted by Ferguson in the third round.

He bounced back with a dominant fifth-round TKO victory over Edson Barboza. Over the weekend (Sat. December 15, 2018) Lee headlined the last UFC on FOX card before the promotion switches over to ESPN. He fought Al Iaquinta in a five-round war that would be determined on the judges’ scorecards.

Iaquinta was awarded the unanimous decision victory. After the loss, Lee took to Instagram and issued a statement to fans on the defeat. Here’s what he had to say (via MMA Junkie):

“The fight on Saturday, I still feel like we won it. I fought a lot off my back foot as a southpaw and against my natural fighting style. My explosiveness and coming forward and being aggressive.

“I tried to show something a little too different. Al showed up, he put on a great performance, landed a great shot in the fourth round. All I can say is: I’m going to be back, I’m still going to be a champ regardless of where it’s at and what it is.”

Lee followed up with another post shortly after:

“I beat racism, the system, poverty, and everybody that wanna see me lose for no reason. Fuck being humble”

The post Kevin Lee Vows To Become UFC Champion Despite Iaquinta Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.