Iaquinta Nation

Once again Iaquinta Nation it’s fight night. Tonight Live from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas it will be Al Iaquinta taking on Joe Lauzon in a highly anticipated light weight battle. Several MMA analysts as well as fight fans have Raging Al as the underdog in this fight. That’s just fine by Iaquinta, who thrives on being in the underdog position. Iaquinta respects the fact that Lauzon is a tough opponent. “He’s a fan favorite, people enjoy watching him fight.” Iaquinta said. “To put up a good performance against him would put me right where I need to be.” Iaquinta will look to cement that message to fight fans tonight at UFC 183.

Performance. A word that’s been used often this week when discussing Joe Lauzon. Lauzon enters the fight as the UFC leader in performance bonuses with thirteen. An impressive stat, but one that won’t get in the head of Iaquinta. “Everyone’s talking fight of the night. That’s not any good. That means he landed punches and he did well. I just need to go out there, dominate, and finish quick.” Iaquinta respects the skill set of Lauzon realizing he can be a “tricky” opponent. Regardless the game plan of Iaquinta won’t change. Expect to see the Serra Longo fighter look to stand, but if an opportunity for a takedown is there he’ll take it and work from the ground.

“I just need to go out there, dominate and finish quick.” -Al Iaquinta

Lauzon brings an impressive BJJ game to the table. Seventeen of Lauzon’s wins are via submission. Something for Raging Al to be mindful of, but won’t dramatically effect his game plan. Iaquinta is confident that there’s weapons in his jiu-jitsu arsenal that he hasn’t even had the opportunity to showcase in the octagon yet. Many of Lauzon’s submission wins occurred after he was able to beat opponents up on their feat, forcing them into a point of weakness for a submission. With the strong stand up of Iaquinta this is unlikely to happen.

In just few short hours many of these questions will be answered. One things for sure Iaquinta is here to send a message with a dominant performance over Joe Lauzon. Expect to see a hungry fighter willing to do whatever it takes to get a win. Iaquinta’s skills and confidence only continue to improve as he climbs his way up the light weight division. This is a fight you aren’t going to want to miss. Get excited Iaquinta Nation, it’s fight night. Time to go to war.

-Matt Pellicane