This Saturday afternoon Al Iaquinta will take on Poland’s Piotr Hallmann at UFC Fight Night. The fight will be the final fight on Saturday’s Facebook Preliminary card. Prelim fights start at 12 noon and can be seen on Facebook as well as The UFC TV app. Just a reminder that McCann’s Pub and Grill in Massapequa New York will be hosting a viewing party for the fight.
Iaquinta (6-2-1) comes into this fight after an impressive and dominant win over Ryan Couture. A healthy Iaquinta was able to showcase his skills and show just how well rounded and powerful of a fighter he is. It was his most impressive win yet. He looks to carry that momentum from August into this fight where he’ll be taking on Hallmann, coming off an impressive win of his own. Hallmann (14-1, 1-0 UFC) will have an even quicker turn around following his win over Francisco Trinaldo in early September.
Hallmann’s previous fight wasn’t as smooth sailing and dominant as Iaquinta. He was beat up in the first round taking some heavy body shots from his opponent Trinalo. He managed to weather the storm and escape out of the first round. In the second round Hallmann found his range. After a slip on a kick by Trinaldo he was able to hit him with some big elbows and eventually force him to tap via Kimora later in the round. An impressive previous win by both fighters.
Hallman respects what Iaquinta showed in his last fight and knows he’s up for what will be a very tough fight. “Al’s dangerous” Hallmann said. “ His small record deserves a lot more credit. His Couture fight, and the way he worked the body was really impressive.” Iaquinta will likely look to do just that in this fight as well, work the body and get after Piotr early on, trying to hurt him the same way he was hurt in the Trinaldo fight.
Both Iaquinta and Hallmann turned pro in 2009. Where Iaquinta did most of his early professional fighting in the Ring of Combat promotion in New Jersey, Hallmann has fought all over the world including Ireland, Slovenia, and Germany to name a few. Hallmann while training is also a member of the Polish Navy. Here’s a few numbers on both fighters.
Iaquinta enters the fight with 3 KOs and 1 finish by submission. Hallmann comes into Saturdays contest with 7 wins by KO, and 6 by submission. Never the less, at the end of the day these are only numbers. Hallmann was able to take on some more fights out of the country, but has yet to see an opponent of Iaquinta’s skill set. Iaquinta will look to have a repeat performance and show the fight world that that dominating fighter from the Couture fight is here to stay. This will be a great fight to watch with two fighters who are both hungry and looking to make a statement. Expect it to be one of the best fights of the afternoon.
-Matt Pellicane
Iaquinta Nation 