Al Iaquinta potentially willing to walk away from MMA over UFC contract dispute

Earlier this month, it was announced that #13 ranked UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta would be returning to the Octagon following a layoff that saw him sidelined for a year and a half. The layoff came at the worst possible time for Iaquinta, who was in the midst of a 4-fight win streak that had seen him defeat Rodrigo Damm, Ross Pearson, Joe Lauzon, and Jorge Masvidal.

The announcement revealed that Iaquinta would be fighting veteran welterweight Thiago Alves. However, the same week that the fight was announced, it was also announced that the fight had been pulled from the card because of a contract dispute between Iaquinta’s camp and team and the UFC.

During a recent appearance on The MMA Hour this week, Iaquinta joined Ariel Helwani to discuss the situation, explaining that he is prepared to walk away from MMA if he and the UFC can’t reach an agreement soon:

“Yep. Unless I become like a – no no you know what no – even if I become…it’s just not worth it. It’s just not worth it.”

When host Ariel Helwani pressed Iaquinta about the matter, asking if Iaquinta, who is now working as a real estate agent, is going to wait and see what happens. The UFC lightweight stated:

“If anyone needs to buy, sell, or rent property. I’m the guy you talk to. That’s what I’ll be doing I guess.”

Iaquinta, who explained earlier in the show that if he were to lose his fight on the UFC’s historic Madison Square Garden card in November, he would have fought for practically no money. That, combined with his newfound love of real estate, could potentially leave the UFC without one of their lightweight stars if they can’t reach an agreement.