Best and Worst from UFC on Fox 31: Lee vs. Iaquinta 2
After 7 years, the UFC’s time on the Fox network has come to an end, as last night’s show from Milwaukee – the 31st on ‘big’ Fox – was the final one on the channel as the promotion now readies itself for its move to ESPN in 2019.
The show wasn’t the heaviest in terms of name value, as it lacked a title fight at the top of the card and didn’t have many fights that would affect the rankings, but in execution, it turned out to be a ton of fun. We got a handful of truly great fights – including the main event – and a bunch of fun finishes too. It was an excellent way for the UFC to sign off on the Fox era.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC on Fox 31: Lee vs. Iaquinta 2.
#1 Best: Iaquinta proves his worth
Most observers, myself included, were favouring Kevin Lee to defeat Al Iaquinta in the main event and avenge his 2014 loss to ‘Ragin Al’. Some people were even suggesting that Iaquinta was overrated due to his decent showing against Khabib Nurmagomedov, and went as far as to believe that had he been as active as someone like Lee over the past few years, he would’ve picked up more losses.
Well, Iaquinta pretty much shut up all the doubters last night with his performance. Lee might’ve seen it as a controversial decision but I find it hard to agree with that viewpoint – I saw it as 48-47 for Iaquinta, with the Long Islander taking rounds 1, 4 and 5 quite clearly – and there’s an argument to be made now that this was the best win of Iaquinta’s career given Lee’s standing in the division beforehand.
Over 25 minutes Iaquinta showed that he’s one of the best strikers in the division, piecing Lee up more than vaunted kickboxers like Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza were able to do, and he became one of the few fighters able to fend ‘The Motown Phenom’ off on the ground too.
Hopefully, the win means Iaquinta has his head properly in the game now; he’s been involved in too many silly spats with the UFC over recent years to really put a run to the top together, but if he can stay onside going into 2019 he could be a man to watch. Iaquinta vs. Gaethje, anyone? Or Iaquinta vs. Poirier? It shows how packed 155lbs is right now, and an active Iaquinta is a great addition to those ranks.