New York lightweight Al Iaquinta has turned down an offer to fight Thiago Alves at UFC 205 on Nov. 12 in Madison Square Garden due to a contract holdout with the UFC.Iaquinta, 29, verbally agreed to the matchup at first, but he said he couldnt bring himself to sign the official bout agreement.The UFC declined to comment on the situation to ESPN.com.Riding a four-fight win streak, Iaquinta (12-3) said he stood to make $26,000 to show and $26,000 to win the fight in New York. He said he has three fights left on his deal, which was negotiated in early 2015.I printed out the contract, went to sign it and just said, I cant do it, Iaquinta told ESPN.com. As much as I would love to be a superstar at Madison Square Garden, this is only going to last for so long and then Im going to be stuck with the injuries.With the money theyre paying me right now, its enough to get by, maybe. I could do that in any profession and not risk the injuries. Health is so important to me after what Ive been through the last 18 months.Iaquinta listed several factors that went into his decision, including the UFCs apparel deal with Reebok that banned individual sponsorships from appearing in the Octagon. Additionally, Iaquinta underwent knee surgery late last year, and his experience with that greatly affected his current perception.Iaquinta was 24 when he agreed to compete on the UFCs The Ultimate Fighter reality series in 2012. He performed well, eventually losing in the tournament final to fellow UFC lightweight Michael Chiesa.The show required him to fight five times in three months. According to Iaquinta, he was paid a flat $750 per week. Luckily, he made an extra $50,000 in bonus money for having the best knockout and fight of the season. Looking back, Iaquinta said that without those bonuses, appearing on the show would not have been worth it.Especially because Iaquinta suffered a knee injury in the shows semifinals. He initially had a patchwork surgery performed, he said, but the knee reached a point last year that he felt a second procedure was necessary.When he informed the UFC, Iaquinta said he was initially told the companys insurance would only pick up $15,000 of a $60,000 operation. Eventually, the UFC did agree to pay for the entire procedure, he said, but only after weeks of slow, frustrating correspondence.I was talking to a woman at the UFC medical department and it was almost like I was hassling her, Iaquinta said. Its like, This is your job. Youre employed by the UFC. You have health benefits. Your job is to help me. Im not burdening you. I wish I didnt have to call you. I actually hate calling you because you make me feel like I shouldnt.I eventually said, So, youre telling me a UFC fighter on a four-fight win streak is going to have to start a GoFundMe page to pay for a surgery -- is that what youre telling me right now? That was what it took to get on the phone with [former UFC owner] Lorenzo Fertitta. And even then, they wanted me to get a different surgery. I ended up saying I was going in for the surgery either way, and I think that put pressure on them.Iaquinta acknowledged it hasnt been long since he signed his current four-fight deal. He has completed only one of those: a split-decision win over Jorge Masvidal in April 2015.His mindset, however, has changed tremendously in that time. After he was initially told hed have to pay for knee surgery out of pocket, Iaquinta said he came to grips with the possibility that his career was over. Now that hes accepted that once and prepared accordingly (he received his real estate license earlier this year), it frees him to demand a new deal.They sell you on the dream, Iaquinta said. You end up fighting for less than youre worth, hoping one day you can make it. Ive already made it. Im in the UFC.At first, the dream is making The Ultimate Fighter. When youre in The Ultimate Fighter, its about making the UFC. Get into the UFC, the dream is making it to that next contract. I got to the next contract and was told, Stay in the good graces of the UFC. Dont piss them off, because if you ask for more money, theyre not going to give it to you anyway, and God forbid you lose a fight -- theyll cut you.Now, I really dont give a s--- if they cut me. I could f------ care less.Iaquinta did not reveal the exact figure hes seeking, but he said the UFC has shown no interest in renegotiating his current deal.Playing into his decision, Iaquinta said the UFC informed him he is ineligible for the promotions highly sought-after fight night bonuses, which usually consist of $50,000 and are awarded at every event.Iaquinta said he was told his ineligibility stems from several violations of the UFCs code of conduct.Im really just fed up, Iaquinta said. Im fed up with the sport. I dont even call it a sport anymore. They treat the wrong people right and the right people wrong.I went to UFC 53 [in 2005] and I had such a different idea of this. Its where I wanted to be. I watched every fight when I was young. This is all I wanted to do. I thought these guys were superstars. I thought these guys were making money, being on TV -- and now Im here and its totally different. I keep saying, It cant be like this. This cant be how it is.Iaquinta fights out of Serra-Longo Fight Team. He is 7-2 overall in the UFC with three knockouts. Nike Shoes Cheap Online . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. 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EIN GEDI, Israel -- A multinational group of swimmers swam seven hours through the salty, soupy waters of the Dead Sea on Tuesday in a bid to draw attention to the environmental degradation of the fabled lake.At dawn, the 25 swimmers left on boats from Ein Gedi on the Israeli side of the Dead Sea to Wadi Mujib on the Jordanian side. Then, wearing special protective masks and snorkels, the swimmers paddled through the thick waters in what turned into a 17-kilometer (11-mile) swim from Jordan to Israel.Swimming in the Dead Sea is unusual.Tourists typically dip themselves from the beaches and float on the water with the help of the lakes high salt concentration. It also draws people from around the world who believe the waters high mineral content is beneficial for skin conditions.The Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth at 423 meters (1,388 feet) below sea level, has shrunk significantly over recent decades, a process environmentalists blame on unsustainable water management and over-exploitation of the lakes minerals.Were here for the first ever Dead Sea swim challenge with 25 swimmers that come from all over the world to send out a clear message to save the Dead Sea, which is shrinking today at an alarming rate, said Mira Edelstein, from the environmental group EcoPeace, one of the swims organizers.Organizers say the Dead Seas water level has fallen more than 25 meters (80 feet) over the last three decades. The lakes southern basin, disconnected from the shrinking northern side, has seen flooding in recent years because of heavy industrialization.The swimmers, who hailed from Israel,, the Palestinian territories and as far as New Zealand, South Africa and Denmark, wore special face masks to shield them from the briny water, which is painful to the eyes and can be deadly to ingest.dddddddddddd The group was accompanied by support vessels with medical equipment and food.Despite the tough conditions, only three swimmers failed to finish -- two who suffered from dehydration and a third who complained of chills.Four swimmers took breaks on the medical vessel. Palestinian lifeguard Yussuf Matari, 61, was treated with an IV as he rested in the shade of a boats tarp before plunging in to the waters again.Jackie Cobell, a British long-distance swimmer, called the Dead Sea swim historic and iconic, before descending into the water. This is really important because its disappearing fast.Those who neared the shoreline first waited so all could finish the race together. Speakers blared We are the Champions, the iconic hit by the English rock band Queen.I must say that I did not expect this swim to be so hard and what was really, really tough conditions is that salt. Constantly trying to get the salt out of your mask and the chafing, said Jean Craven, a founder of Madswimmer, a South African charity that participates in open water swims around the world to raise money for childrens causes.This was a challenge, not a race, he added. It was really great to see the camaraderie, you know, everyone trying to bring the slowest swimmers along with them. ' ' '