Iaquinta Nation

It appears fight fans and Iaquinta Nation may get to see Al Iaquinta back in the octagon sooner than expected. After a second opinion on his injured knee, the 155 pound stand out will avoid going under the knife to fix the damaged cartilage. Instead Iaquinta will undergo stem cell injections and plasma therapy. This will keep Iaquinta out for a significantly shorter amount of time, lining him up for a return at the new year.

Iaquinta was originally set to fight Gilbert Melendez in July. The fight was canceled after Melendez tested positive for testosterone metabolites. Following the news Iaquinta looked to get his ailing knee repaired. Different diagnoses ranged from physical therapy, to surgery, to potential career ending.

As it turns out it will be none of the above. Iaquinta’s knee is believed to have little cartilage left. The stem cell treatment is the best course of action to get Iaquinta healthy and back in the octagon. Raging Al will receive one shot this upcoming week. That will be followed by six weeks of physical therapy to build strength back in the knee. After that, it’s back to business.

Iaquinta didn’t waste much time seeking his next opponent. Raging Al commented that he would like to fight the number ten ranked light weight Beneil Dariush. The fight would make for an exciting one to start off the year. For now it’s rehab and training as Iaquinta get’s set to rage on in January.

-Matt Pellicane