Al Iaquinta Hoping For August Showdown With Justin Gaethje

Al Iaquinta is targeting a late summer clash with Justin Gaethje.

Iaquinta and Gaethje have certainly been in the good graces of the UFC lately. While Iaquinta hasn’t been afraid to vent his frustrations with the UFC in the past, he was able to step up when the promotion scrambled for a UFC 223 main event at the last minute. He took on Khabib Nurmagomedov in a losing effort, which earned a newfound respect from UFC president Dana White.

As for Gaethje, his exciting fighting style has also earned him points with the UFC. He’s nabbed three “Fight of the Night” bonuses. Keep in mind, Gaethje has only had three fights inside the Octagon. Not only that, but all three of those bouts have also been considered “Fight of the Year” worthy.

During a recent edition of his “Call Me Al” podcast, Iaquinta said he’s shooting for a bout with “The Highlight” this year (via BJPenn.com):

“We’re hoping for sometime in August. August, September. I think they wanted it to be sooner, but like, that guy needs a rest. I was looking out for his health with that one. He needs a break for a minute. If it goes down the way it’s supposed to, it’ll be a good fight, a tough fight.”

Iaquinta went on to say the bout has actually been discussed “a little bit.” Iaquinta has gone 5-1 in his last six outings. He was originally scheduled to meet Paul Felder at UFC 223 before being called upon for the headliner.

Gaethje has gone 1-2 in his last three bouts. After a TKO victory over Michael Johnson in his UFC debut, “The Highlight” was knocked out by former lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez. He was then stopped by Dustin Poirier in their UFC Glendale tilt.