Al Iaquinta is not the biggest fan of UFC lightweight contender Kevin Lee.
Top 15 lightweight Al Iaquinta might not be the most active fighter on the UFC roster, but the 30-year-old still keeps a keen eye on his native division.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the 400th edition of The MMA Hour, ‘Raging Al’ had plenty to say about soon to be interim title challenger Kevin Lee, who will take on the No. 2 ranked Tony Ferguson in a lightweight championship bout at UFC 216 this weekend.
Iaquinta, who beat Lee via unanimous decision in 2014, doesn’t think ‘The Motown Phenom’ is deserving of a title shot.
“There’s a lot of other people that should have gotten a title shot,” Iaquinta said, per MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi. “He had a good interview. He was in the right place at the right time. He won the fight, Ferguson happened to be doing the FOX thing. They had a little back and forth. I think Kevin Lee, I don’t think he’s there.”
Lee, who is on a five-fight win streak, could go on to face MMA megastar and current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor if he pulls off the upset against ‘El Cucuy’. But Iaquinta, who last fought at UFC Fight Night 108 where he knocked out Diego Sanchez, thinks the idea of Lee vs. McGregor is ‘hysterical’.
Iaquinta believes ‘The Notorious’ would demolish Lee.
“That would be hysterical,” Iaquinta said. “Kevin Lee would get demolished. Not even in the fight. He thinks he’s like Conor. How you gonna mimic the guy that you’re fighting? What are you doing? He’s just such an act, it’s just so hard to stomach. Ugh, God, with the outfits. He’s like ‘Pootie Tang’ with the outfits.
“He’s just so fake and he’s just trying so hard. He really is.”
Lee will look to pull off the upset against Ferguson at UFC 216. The pay-per-view takes place later this week, October 7, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.