Al Iaquinta Says Conor McGregor Doesn’t Deserve Automatic Rematch With Khabib Nurmagomedov

– Al Iaquinta spoke with MMAjunkie backstage at UFC on ESPN+ 1 about his next fight, Conor McGregor and more. Highlights are below:

On his next fight: “I want to fight anybody ranked above me. I want to fight Tony Ferguson. I want to fight Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier. A win over either of those guys will get me that rematch with Khabib, which is something I want to do this year and have a full training camp, really be prepared. I know that’s a fight that, it would be a lot different the second time around.”

On Tony Ferguson deserving the next title shot: “He’s put together a string of wins in this crazy division of lightweights that’s remarkable. As much as I can’t stand the guy, I can respect that he’s a tough competitor, and he’s definitely earned that.”

On the idea of Conor McGregor getting an immediate rematch between with Khabib Nurmagomedov: “Him getting a rematch off the bat is just, money talks, but let’s be serious. Nothing he did that night (at UFC 229) warrants a rematch.”

On his own diesre to face McGregor: “You’re going to see that switch in his face when he realizes he’s in there with a bad (expletive), and somebody that he’s going to have to kill to get out of there. And I don’t think (McGregor) is willing to die. He’s got a lot of money. He’s got a lot of other things going on. And to put it all on the line in the cage when you got all that stuff? I look up to him. I look up to him for what he’s done, but I’ve got something that he doesn’t have and no money can buy that. He’ll never have it, and I hope I get that fight because I know what I can do against an opponent like that.”