UFC Lightweight Al Iaquinta to Miss 6-8 Months After Undergoing Knee Surgery

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Al Iaquinta will likely be sidelined until mid-2016 as he recovers from knee surgery.

The Serra-Longo Fight Team product will have cartilage from a cadaver inserted into the back of his kneecap, UFC Tonight reported on Wednesday. As a result, Iaquinta will be out of action a minimum of six to eight months.

That procedure nixes a potential showdown with Khabib Nurmagomedov. The American Kickboxing Academy product reportedly wanted to face Iaquinta at UFC 196 in Las Vegas on Feb. 6, but “The Ultimate Fighter 15” finalist will not be ready to fight by then.

After falling to Michael Chiesa at the “TUF 15” finale, Iaquinta has won seven of his last eight Octagon appearances. A recent four-fight winning streak has included triumphs over Ross Pearson, Joe Lauzon and Jorge Masvidal. Iaquinta hasn’t fought since taking a split verdict over Masvidal at UFC Fight Night on April 4.