Al Iaquinta

Overview

Three straight losses to close a 9-6 UFC run, and none of the first five defeats on his record came in a way that suggests he was outclassed on the feet. Al Iaquinta fights at lightweight out of Serra-Longo in Long Island, New York, and his UFC career is a story of two halves: a five-fight win streak in 2014 and 2015, then a 2017 to 2018 run that carried him to a five-round fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

He holds a 14-7-1 professional record across all promotions, with the UFC portion at 9-6. Four of those nine wins came by knockout, five by decision.

UFC Career

Iaquinta debuted in the UFC at The Ultimate Fighter: Live Finale in 2012 and lost by first-round submission to Michael Chiesa at 2:47. He rebounded with three straight unanimous decisions in 2013 and 2014, over Ryan Couture, Piotr Hallmann and Kevin Lee. A second-round submission loss to Mitch Clarke in 2014 interrupted that, and it was the second submission defeat in his first five UFC fights.

What followed was the best stretch of his career. Wins over Rodrigo Damm, Ross Pearson and Joe Lauzon all came by KO/TKO, then a split decision over Jorge Masvidal in 2015 made it five in a row, his longest streak. Pearson, Lauzon and Masvidal were all rated strong opponents by our model.

Then a gap: his next UFC fight was in April 2017, a first-round TKO of Diego Sanchez in 1:38. That earned the five-round fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, which he lost by unanimous decision. He answered by headlining against Kevin Lee in December 2018 and winning a five-round unanimous decision over an elite opponent.

The slide started right after. Donald Cerrone took a five-round unanimous decision in 2019, Dan Hooker won another over three rounds, and King Green stopped him in the first round at 2:25 at UFC 268 in 2021. That is his only knockout loss.

Three straight defeats is the streak he carries into his next fight.

Fighting Style

Al Iaquinta is a busy striker who is hard to hit cleanly, though he also absorbs a fair amount of return fire and lands at a lower clip of accuracy than most. He rarely shoots for takedowns and doesn't hunt for submissions. His takedown defense is the standout trait, and it makes him difficult for wrestlers to put on the mat.

His finishing pattern fits that profile. All four of his UFC finishes were knockouts, and he has no submission wins. One came in the first round, two in the second, and one in the third. The other five wins went to the scorecards.

His losses tell a different story. Two of his six defeats came by submission, and one by knockout.

Notable Wins

• Kevin Lee — unanimous decision, round 5, UFC Fight Night headliner (2018)
• Jorge Masvidal — split decision, round 3, UFC Fight Night (2015)
• Joe Lauzon — KO/TKO, round 2 at 3:34, UFC 183 (2015)
• Diego Sanchez — KO/TKO, round 1 at 1:38, UFC Fight Night (2017)

Quick Facts

• Division: Lightweight
• UFC record: 9-6
• Professional record (all promotions): 14-7-1
• UFC debut: 2012
• Stance: Orthodox
• Height / reach: 5'10" / 70"
• Team: Serra-Longo - Long Island, NY
• Born: Wantagh, United States