The Al Iaquinta dispute is not an individual issue.

When Al Iaquinta infamously flipped off the crowd after edging out a narrow split decision over Jorge Masvidal last April, no-one thought the road back to the octagon would be such a topsy-turvy tale for “Raging.” Out of his fight on his home soil at UFC 205, it looked like Madison Square Garden would have to wait for Iaquinta, however, it now looks like the pair may never meet.

It was all shaping up so perfect for the New York native. A return to the octagon after a 17-month-layoff, on home soil, potentially sharing the card with team-mate Chris Weidman, it couldn’t have been pictured any better.

Not the case.

Behind the scenes it was a different story, the bout agreement hadn’t even been signed yet, reluctant to put pen to paper, Iaquinta just couldn’t bring himself to sign on the dotted line. Why though? Who cares, he can fight someone else? It’s not quite that simple. Digging into the facts, the opponent, or even the destination is not the issue in this dispute, it’s the one thing that most fighters tend to shy away from discussing. Contracts.

Iaquinta last fought in March 2015 - he won a close split decision
against Jorge Masvidal.
Credit: mmafrenzy

Speaking on The MMA Hour, Iaquinta discussed in detail about the injuries and treatments that have caused him such a lengthy lay off.

Originally, Iaquinta was planning on undergoing an allograft to repair his injured knee, under Dr. Riley Williams in New York. The UFC thought otherwise. Adamant that stem cell surgery would not work to treat his injured ACL, Iaquinta flew out to L.A go ahead with it regardless, much under the UFC’s command. Six months later, there is no progress and he is back at square one.

Iaquinta stated that ironically after this disappointment, the UFC only offered to pay less than half of his $60,000 allograft surgery with Dr. Williams. However, after some time the organization did pay the full cost. It was this, accompanied with the newly instated Reebok deal which left Iaquinta ‘ripping his hair out.’

Iaquinta in action vs Masvidal
Credit: Bloody Elbow

Now we all know about the Reebok deal by now, it’s been in tuition for over a year now. But it wasn’t until this situation with Iaquinta, that I myself realized, how little I knew about it. I had no idea that prior to the Reebok deal, fighters were being paid monthly by their sponsors, I was under the impression it was only per fight. I guess there’s a reason fighters keep this stuff behind closed doors. It’s shocking.

I believe the pivotal point of this situation is not necessarily the fact that Iaquinta signed his UFC contact before the Reebok deal was introduced, because that’s common sense, he hasn’t fought since April of last year, and besides, many other fighters are in that position too. What interests me is looking at where Iaquinta stands, ranking wise, in the company.

Now of course he is not one of the faces of the UFC, or even his division in that case. But this is a guy who is ranked #13 in one of the toughest divisions in the UFC. So what does that mean? It means that if you’re an upcoming fighter, making and breaking your butt off to try and step foot into the UFC, you better buckle up because it will be rougher than a bumpy ride. Not everyone can talk-the-talk like Conor McGregor to build up their persona, and certainly no-one can avoid the ever so present injuries of the sport.

If there was ever a time for a fighter’s voice, it’s now.