Madness

A couple of days ago I wrote how we could be on the cusp of the 'Blessed' era in the UFC. My thinking was if Max Holloway could pull off an unlikely upset and defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov to capture the UFC Lightweight title, it would pave the way for a series of mega fights at 155lb and 145lb.

However two days is a long time in UFC fight week.

From Khabib pulling up on Artem Lobev to Conor McGregor running riot in the Barclays Center to Max Holloway being declared medically unfit to fight to a slew of fighters being lined up as a late replacements to fight Khabib - it's been a week of madness.

The dust has settled and 'Raging' Al Iaquinta has emerged as the unlikely opponent who will square of against Nurmagomedov in UFC 223 main event.

Weighty issues

Once Saturday night is out of the way, and hopefully it passes without any major incident; the UFC will have a number of issues to tackle.

Firstly, what do they do about Conor McGregor. Over the last few years the Irishman has been UFC'S main cash cow however of late he has been raging like a bull in the Festival of San Fermin.

First jumping into the cage at Bellator 187 and striking out at officials and the referee Marc Goddard.

Now he has been caught on camera, throwing a dolly at a bus loaded with UFC fighters.

This was done in a crazy attempt to seek retribution on Khabib Nurmagomedov after the Russian humiliated his teammate Artem Lobov.

McGregor handed himself into the police and has been released on bail after being charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief.

Whatever the repercussions of the events in the loading bay in the Barclays Center, the UFC will be loathed to sever ties with McGregor. McGregor has dug the UFC out of plenty of holes, taking short notice replacements, fighting injured and injecting an interest in the sport like no other mma fighter. Backing up his pre-fight bravado with outstanding displays within the ring.

However there must be a growing sense that McGregor is losing his way. He hasn't fought in the UFC for over 18 months. And the antics that were part of his appeal are crossing the line of acceptability.

Another issue is what is the fallout of the fighters and UFC officials injured during the attack on the bus. I'm sure the UFC will seek to compensate everyone involved and avoid a situation where fighters on their roster are suing each other. Also it isn't really in the interest of Michael Chiesa or Ray Borg to sue Conor McGregor provided their isn't lasting damage to their careers. The fallout and hassle simply wouldn't be worth it. However this whole incident will have left a bitter taste from the rest of the roaster towards McGregor.

The nearly men

Then there is the question of the guys that nearly got to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Who does original opponent Tony Ferguson fight next? Will the UFC really try to schedule Nurmagomedov - Ferguson for the fifth time?

Will Max Holloway go back to 145lb and defend his belt or will he lobby for a shot at the 155lb belt to try to become a two weight UFC champion?

Did Anthony Pettis really ask for $1m to fight Khabib as has been suggested? Is that reason why the fight fell through and the UFC had to pull another fight to get Khabib an opponent? Where does that leave Pettis relationship with the organisation?

Dangerous underdog

Outside all of the controversy we are however left with the moat intriguing fight in the circumstances. Don't get me wrong, Khabib is a prohibitive favourite however Al Iaquinta is the dark horse of the lightweight division.

He offers a very different challenge to any of the guys (Ferguson, Holloway, Pettis and Felder) slated to fight Khabib.

Iaquinta has knock power, the kind that Khabib needs to respect as he seeks the takedown.

I spoke in my previous post about Holloway needing to establish his jab to gain a foothold against Khabib, Iaquinta has the game to do that. His standup is excellent. Iaquinta also has great takedown defence.... however a great takedown defence has never been enough (to date) to stop the monster that is Khabib.

True rebel

For all the talk of Conor McGregor being the wild child of the UFC, McGregor is still essentially a company guy.

Iaquinta is the true rebel of the UFC. He is one of a few fighters that have butted heads with the organisation and remained on the roaster. He has had disputes over the terms of his contract, the Reebok deal, payment of medical bills and hasn't been backwards in expressing his grievances. He has been a strong advocate for fighters rights.

He walked out of the UFC fighter retreat. Complaining that the UFC was paying for entertainers rather than giving fighters what they are worth.

Fucking pay me... I don’t give a fuck about Snoop Dogg. Pay me. I’m hurt, I’m tired. Fuck you. Fuck you, how about that?"

He has had an f-bomb for UFC president Dana White, after he took exception to White criticising fighters,

Iaquinta is not adverse to dropping f-bombs on the crowd either,

If he beats Khabib he can drop as many f-bombs as he likes! And name his price for the next fight too! (Apparently Iaquinta is on a one-fight deal)

After his fight with Deigo Sanchez, he responded to a question about how quickly he wanted to return to the ring by saying,

I'm selling houses, if you're selling a house hit me up.

Perhaps his business interest in real estate has allowed him to be more outspoken than most. I imagine if Iaquinta were to become champion tonight he won't be selling houses for a while!