UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta out 6-8 months following knee surgery

UFC lightweight contender Al Iaquinta has won his last 4 bouts, but it'll be awhile before we see him back in the Octagon in quest of a 5th successive triumph. According to UFC Tonight's Ariel Helwani, Iaquinta, who has disclosed his knee problems already this year, opted for surgery that will put him out of action for 6-8 months.

"Al Iaquinta has decided to get knee surgery," Helwani said. "He's going to get cartilage from a cadaver and put it into the back of his knee cap. He'll be out six to eight months."

Iaquinta's (12-3-1) last fight was a controversial win over Jorge Masvidal in April. The split decision victory elicited boos from the crowd, which prompted Iaquinta to give this all-timer of a post-fight interview. He was then scheduled to fight again in July, first against Bobby Green (pulled out with an injury), then Gilbert Melendez (failed his drug test).

In August, it was reported that Iaquinta was advised to forgo surgery on his right knee, which "had very little cartilage left." Iaquinta would instead go for stem cell injections and physical therapy, with a targeted January 2016 return. Now it's been learned that Iaquinta has ultimately chosen surgery, and at the earliest he won't be back until the later stages of Spring.