Ray Longo: UFC 223 ‘would’ve been a totally different ballgame’ if Al Iaquinta trained for five rounds

The string of unfortunate events during UFC 223 fight week turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Al Iaquinta. Not only did he get a pay bump, he also took on the opportunity of a lifetime by fighting for a world title.

“Ragin’ Al” may have lost via dominant decision, but his team was still impressed by what he had shown against Khabib Nurmagomedov. His coach Ray Longo was even led to believe that a full training camp would have made a major difference.

“As a coach, I’m blown away because I don’t even know how he did it. That was just will and determination you were watching in there – coupled with a guy who’s very technically skilled,” Longo told MMAjunkie Radio.

“But for me, it was like, ‘Wow, what if we really trained for five rounds, man?’ It would’ve been a totally different ballgame.”

At the end of it all, Longo is just content with how everything turned out.

“How he even went five rounds is bizarre to me. The kid is just a really special kid,” Longo said. “He has attributes you can’t teach a fighter. As a coach, I can’t teach him what happened in there that night. He’s born with it. He’s a fighter. He loves what he does.”

“I’ve got nothing but the utmost respect for Khabib. I love his team. I love him. I love the way he speaks. He’s a true warrior, and I think two guys went in there, they fought, and they put it all on the line. I think there’s a mutual respect, and they both gained (experience) from each other that will last a lifetime.”

After UFC 223, Iaquinta now holds a record of 13-4-1, with eight wins via stoppage.