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Tag: Al Iaquinta

  • Iaquinta Admits Regret Over Accepting Green As UFC 268 Opponent

    Former UFC lightweight title challenger Al Iaquinta has admitted he holds some regret over his decision to face Bobby Green for his return fight at UFC 268.

    After two years away from action, Al Iaquinta made a comeback to the Octagon last November. Prior to his hiatus, the New York native fell to consecutive unanimous decision losses against Donald Cerrone and Dan Hooker.

    Inside the prestigious Madison Square Garden, “Raging” Al hoped to return to the win column in front of a hometown crowd. In his way of doing so was Green, a fellow veteran whose level of activity represented the opposite of Iaquinta’s across 2020 and 2021.

    Having narrowly fallen to defeat against rising star Rafael Fiziev in his previous outing, “King” was also hoping for a rebound performance. With his first finish since a 2013 body kick against James Krause, Green did exactly that.

    Inside the opening round, the 35-year-old dropped Iaquinta, before swarming him for the early stoppage and spoiling the homecoming.

    https://twitter.com/MMAFighting/status/1457154646083051527

    Iaquinta: “I Should Have Picked A Different Opponent”

    While Green hopes to ride the momentum from that result into his first appearance of 2022 this weekend, a main-card clash with Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 271, Iaquinta may be hanging up his gloves

    Shortly after the devastating loss, Iaquinta suggested that his appearance at UFC 268 was likely his last fight, which would call an end to a memorable 22-fight career. Iaquinta has since walked back these suggestions, taking a “we’ll see” approach to what may lie ahead.

    Three months beyond his failed comeback, the former lightweight contender, who recorded wins against the likes of Jorge Masvidal, Diego Sanchez, and Kevin Lee during his UFC tenure, has looked back on his decision to return against an opponent as tough as Green.

    During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Iaquinta admitted that he regrets choosing “King” as his 14th foe on MMA’s biggest stage.

    “Bobby Green is a tough guy. I should have picked a different opponent than that after a two-year layoff, coming off of two losses. I’m like, I wanted the best opponent, I was like, ‘I want Bobby Green, that guy is looking good right now,’” said Iaquinta. “Looking back, I should have known. I did know he was good, but maybe we’ll take it back a notch on the competition and ease it into it a little bit. I don’t know if there are tune-up fights in the lightweight division, but I don’t know about Bobby Green.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CV6aB6pJ8w0/

    If this is the end for Iaquinta, while he may have regrets about his most recent opponent, Iaquinta can certainly be proud of everything he has accomplished in the UFC up to this point. Despite never having gold wrapped around his waist, “Raging” Al went five rounds with the great Khabib Nurmagomedov for the vacant belt and faced the best of the best in the promotion across his decade on its roster.

    Do you think Al Iaquinta should have returned to the Octagon against a lesser opponent in 2021?

  • Al Iaquinta Doubts Jake Paul’s Sincerity On Fighter Pay

    Al Iaquinta has doubts about Jake Paul’s intentions regarding fighter pay.

    The topic of fighter pay has become a hot-button issue lately among fighters and media. Jake Paul is one man who is leading the way to help improve the pay structure with MMA. He has been vocal about wanting the UFC to pay their fighters more money and has targeted UFC President Dana White in this battle. However, some people are having doubts about Paul’s true intentions in this fight, including Al Iaquinta.

    Al Iaquinta
    Image Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

    Paul has blown up in the boxing world over the last few years. He has made his way by fighting former UFC fighters such as Ben Askren and Tyron Woodley. In these bouts, the former UFC fighters are reported to have made much more than they did in their time with the MMA organization.

    This led Paul on his crusade against the UFC and White. He even released a “diss track” criticizing White and his low payment of fighters. Iaquinta feels that Paul’s whole charade is for self-promotion rather than helping the fighters in need.

    “I don’t know how sincere it is or not, but I don’t think it can be that sincere because it hasn’t really affected him,” Iaquinta said to MMA Fighting. “If it had affected him then it would be super sincere, see I think it works for him as he’s getting promotion out of it. That video got a lot of views. I think he’s young, smart, wealthy, and he’s not bound to anything. He’s gonna be successful.”

    Iaquinta was on a similar mission as Paul. He was one of the first UFC fighters to begin complaining about the payments in the UFC. Iaquinta was a perennial top ten fighter throughout most of his career. His shining moment was perhaps his UFC 223 title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov. He later sat out two years due to contract negotiations problems and wanting more money.

    Iaquinta, who is also a licensed real estate agent along with being a fighter, once claimed that he would quit fighting and just sell houses if he was not paid well. It is claims such as this one that have led Paul to step in.

    Paul recently bought shares of the UFC’s parent company Endeavor in an effort to bring about change. It is unlikely that his purchase will give him and say in this kind of decision-making, but that is not stopping him from trying. As for Iaquinta, his last bout could have been his last and thus may not be affected by Paul’s change or lack thereof.

    Do you believe that Jake Paul is actually trying to raise fighter pay in MMA?