Al Iquinta did not lose to Khabib because of lack of training camp.

People need to stop saying that Al Iquinta lost to Khabib, because he didn't have enough training camp.

Both Khabib and Al had full training camps, for different opponents:

Al had a full training camp for UFC 223 against Felder.
Khabib had a full training camp for UFC 223 against Ferguson.

They were matched up against each other at the last minute, so neither Al nor Khabib had any advantage over the other.

There was nothing different Al could've done even with a full training camp. Al fought Lee the exact same way he fought Khabib with his defensive stance. Its just that Khabibs underrated Russian boxing surprised him and he ate jabs all night.

he still deserves a title shot with a full training camp.

Are people really saying Al didn’t have a full camp?

MMAart said:

People need to stop saying that Al Iquinta lost to Khabib, because he didn't have enough training camp.

Both Khabib and Al had full training camps, for different opponents:

Al had a full training camp for UFC 223 against Felder.
Khabib had a full training camp for UFC 223 against Ferguson.

They were matched up against each other at the last minute, so neither Al nor Khabib had any advantage over the other.

Click to expand...

True, but there is a big difference between preparing for a 5 round fight (Khabib) and a 3 round fight (Iaquinta).

Factual statement.

To be fair, Al was preparing for a 3 rounds fight not for 5.

Mahkor said:

To be fair, Al was preparing for a 3 rounds fight not for 5.

Click to expand...

I think Al can give a good fight to the guy on your AV

MMAart said:

so neither Al nor Khabib had any advantage over the other.

Click to expand...

Besides Al having prepared for a 3 round fight against a striker, while Khabib prepared for a 5 round fight against a grappler you mean?

helltoupee said:

True, but there is a big difference between preparing for a 5 round fight (Khabib) and a 3 round fight (Iaquinta).

Click to expand...

Pro fighters train for 5 round fights.

Also, Iaquinta didn't have endurance problem in the Khabib fight, so I don't see how this was a factor.

In addition, Iaquinta was out wrestled and out jabbed by Khabib right from the start of the fight, and neither factor was the result of a 3 round or 5 round preparation.

which is harder - facing khabib with 24 hour's notice, or facing al?

there's nothing too out of the ordinary about al's striking, if you prepare for a striker you're probably ready for him. whereas khabib is in a class by himself.

i just think it would be unfair to be of a mindset that 'hey al already had his crack at the title' - i don't think that loss should be held against him, he was doing the ufc a favor. give the man a full 6 weeks for khabib, it's a tall enough order as it is.

markg171 said:

Besides Al having prepared for a 3 round fight against a striker, while Khabib prepared for a 5 round fight against a grappler you mean?

Click to expand...

Yet, Khabib beat Al by jabbing his face for 5 rounds.

How would Al training more wrestling help change the outcome of that fight?

Prepared for a 3 round fight against a commentator. Went 5 rounds against the undefeated arguably best in the world.

ViD said:

I think Al can give a good fight to the guy on your AV

Click to expand...

Sure he can, another FOTN + POTN for El Cucuy.

Mahkor said:

To be fair, Al was preparing for a 3 rounds fight not for 5.

Click to expand...

He was, and that's a fair point.

But...c'mon. Does anyone REALLY think a different training camp would matter? Khabib just does what he does, and Al (who's a solid fighter) just isn't the guy with the answers for Khabib.

I'm a bigger fan of Al after tonight honestly. Maybe it's the juxtaposition of him and Kevin. In the first round Kevin looks smooth, is landing and (I believe) getting the better of the striking. He's simply the more talented guy when you take into account how much he positionally dominated the grappling. But...

...Lee is a frontrunner. He has a questionable gas tank and simply cannot handle it when his opponent doesn't just fold. And Al is the opposite. Got stuck in some bad spots but kept his composure. Showed good cardio which means he put in the work. Lee? Did he? He looked noticeably tired literally 6 minutes into the fight. Hard to believe he trained like he should given that fact.

This was a fight where a slightly less talented guy was just grittier and had better cardio. And wanted it more. That's not a knock on Al. Doesn't mean he's not talented, he is. But that's not what won him this fight. The fact that he has heart, grit, and composure won this fight for him. Which is awesome.

MMAart said:

Yet, Khabib beat Al by jabbing his face for 5 rounds.

How would Al training more wrestling help change the outcome of that fight?

Click to expand...

Yes, I know, I've said since the fight happened that Al looked like dogshit that night and Felder would've beat him the way he looked.

That doesn't mean it's still not absolutely retarded to pretend that Khabib didn't have the advantage in that matchup compared to Al.

MMAart said:

Yet, Khabib beat Al by jabbing his face for 5 rounds.

How would Al training more wrestling help change the outcome of that fight?

Click to expand...

Wait, didn't Khabib take Al down the first half of the fight and beat the hell out of him on the mat at different points in all of the first 3 rounds?

I agree though (see my previous post). Al wasn't gonna beat Khabib regardless of camp. Al just isn't the guy stylistically to give Khabib problems.

Felders a way different fight from Khabib

markg171 said:

Yes, I know, I've said since the fight happened that Al looked like dogshit that night and Felder would've beat him the way he looked.

That doesn't mean it's still not absolutely retarded to pretend that Khabib didn't have the advantage in that matchup compared to Al.

Click to expand...

Khabib did not have any advantage because of the last minute opponent change, because he was trained specifically for Ferguson, who has weak wrestling, strong BJJ and unorthodox striking. Ferguson and Al have totally differen't styles.

If anything, Khabib had a disadvantage, because his training camp most likely was focused on defending submissions and elbows in the guard position, something that Ferguson is good at.