Al Iaquinta heard Dustin Poirier is looking for a fight, and he’s more than happy to oblige.
Iaquinta (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) and Poirier both have faced a common opponent in UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Iaquinta took aim at Poirier’s performance in the fight.
Poirier (25-6 MMA, 17-5 UFC) was submitted in the third round of his UFC 242 fight with Nurmagomedov, whereas Iaquinta went all five rounds on short notice in a unanimous decision loss at UFC 223.
“He doesn’t have a fight coming up. That’s the fight,” Iaquinta said on Monday on “Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show.” “The UFC just has to call him. I called Hunter, I texted Sean Shelby, I said that’s the fight, and I’m pretty sure – maybe they didn’t offer it to him, but if they did, he turned it down. So either way, your offer is extended now, and that’s it.
“I think it’s a good fight; he thinks his stock is a lot higher than it is. He got choked out unconscious (by Khabib) – not unconscious, he would have gotten choked out unconscious before the deed could be done, so he’s pretty much, whatever. I think that’s the fight that needs to be made.”
Poirier didn’t take Iaquinta’s claim well, slamming him for his recent track record. Iaquinta has lost three of his last four fights and is coming off back-to-back losses to Donald Cerrone, and Dan Hooker.
@ALIAQUINTA Bro you won 2 fights in the last 5 years…. pipe down.
Before losing to Nurmagomedov, Poirier had won four in a row, en route to capturing the UFC 155-pound interim title with a unanimous decision over Max Holloway. Sitting at the top of the rankings, Poirier doesn’t see many options ahead, but Iaquinta thinks he’s over-valuing himself.
“He said he doesn’t have a fight coming up, no one wants to fight him,” Iaquinta said. “He thinks he’s like the No. 1 contender, but he’s really not. I fought Khabib on like a freakin’ minute’s notice. Kevin Lee is ranked ahead of me, but the rankings, I don’t know. That’s the fight to make. (Poirier) said, ‘Oh, I want an exciting fight.’ He’s going to get an exciting; I’m going to (expletive) him up.
“Put me against Dustin Poirier right now in my freakin’ garage. I’ll beat the (expletive) out of him.”
While it doesn’t seem like Iaquinta would be Poirier’s first choice for a fight, he made it clear it could happen under two conditions.
Hey @ALIAQUINTA if they pay me right and you down to do it at 170lbs I’ll fight you.
