Over the past two years, UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta has spoken numerous times about walking away from the sport due to lack of pay.

Recently, he came very close to officially doing so. That is, until the UFC did something considered rare for them: They ripped up Iaquinta's contract and gave him a new one.

Iaquinta, 30, says he contacted the UFC several weeks ago to discuss his retirement. The catalyst for the call was because he was still subject to random drug testing by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) -- an inconvenience he no longer wanted.

It appeared to be the final straw of a strained relationship. Iaquinta has fought just once in the past two years, stating his pay simply isn't worth the risks of stepping into the cage.

"After my last fight [in April], I put a number in my head, and I wasn't going to fight for anything less," Iaquinta told ESPN.

"They almost got me [in December]. I accepted a fight against Paul Felder, but it wasn't the number I had. I kind of rushed into it. So I pulled out of that fight. I stuck to my guns.

"One day, I got on the phone with [UFC matchmaker] Sean Shelby and said, 'Listen, USADA is coming to my office to test me. This is unacceptable. I said I was going to pull myself from the USADA program. And they came back with the number I wanted."

Iaquinta (13-3-1) is now scheduled to fight Felder (15-3) at UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn.

According to Iaquinta, his disclosed fight purse was $52,000 for his last fight, a knockout win over Diego Sanchez. He says his new contract, which he signed this month, is worth "three times" the previous one.

"I signed a new four-fight deal," Iaquinta said. "They gave me a new contract on the second fight of my old deal -- I don't think they do that for many people. All these fighters kind of take what's given to them. Very few know their worth.

"I still think I'm worth a lot more, but this is a step in the right direction."

Ideally, the new deal will allow Iaquinta to resume his career. He's won eight of his last nine fights and remains highly ranked despite inactivity.

He says he was "all hoorah" when he signed with the UFC in 2012, but his mindset changed when he required serious knee surgery in 2015. The New York native felt the UFC "threw him to the side" during that process.

He began to pursue real estate in 2016, and now says he no longer needs to fight for the money.

"In the UFC's eyes, this is not a four-fight deal, because they can cut me at any time," Iaquinta said. "Now I can walk away any time. I got what I wanted for this fight, and whatever happens after this is whatever.

"I'm on a one-fight contract every time. Whatever happens, if I want to do it again, I'll do it. But I don't have to do this to pay my bills. It's enjoyable."

Felder is certainly not an easy fight to come back to. The Philadelphia native has won three in a row.

"That's why I'm here -- I'm the best in the world, and I just need a platform to prove it," Iaquinta said.