I mean even years ago Lee was 0-2 against Al Iaquinta. It's not like DRod is much worse than Al if at all and he's much bigger.
Problem is Lee was never that good. He's a good fighter but just not great like he believes.
He had a 79' reach for the LW division, that's actually absurd. If he learned how to utilize it well, and how to mix in his striking with his takedowns, and improve his cardio, he'd be champ in that division.
The dude's grappling is phenomenal, not just his TD's. We saw him mount a prime Tony Ferguson, choke out Chiesa who has proven to be a force @ WW(despite his recent loss), and he was only in his early 20's at the time.
D-Rod and Al are different fighters. Al actually has a legit guard game training with Longo/Serra. Khabib abandoned "father's plan" on him because he was exerting too much energy trying to get him down, which is a win for Al despite losing that fight.
D-Rod has a good get up game, but his BJJ isn't particularly good. Lee had a HUGE gap there last night, so when he took his back, Lee should have finished it.
To have that much potential at 23 when he signed with the UFC and to only go downhill is rather tragic.