It’s (almost) fight Night with Al Iaquinta taking on Mike Chiesa in the TUF Finale. I know this post is a day early but I’m heading to Vegas today and wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to do from my iPhone. I’m excited to go to Vegas with about 15-20 of my friends to see Al in the TUF Finale. I’ll give as many updates as I can on here or on my TWITTER account. Look for full coverage and fight recap once I’m back home Monday. Continue Reading
I wanted to remind everyone to come down to McCann’s Friday Night to watch Iaquinta vs. Chiesa in the TUF Finale. As always McCann’s will offer an open bar(9:00-12:00 Top shelf, no shots, and some appetizers as well.) Check out some more details on Facebook HERE. McCann’s has been the number one spot to watch all of Al’s fights throughout this season. We want all of Iaquinta Nation to come down to McCann’s once again and represent #TeamIaquinta during the Finale. Well also have a small film crew from Ring Fever coming down to check out all the excitement and even hear from all of you. Let’s get as many people to McCann’s as possible to show them how dedicated and supportive all of Iaquinta Nation is. We hope to see you all there, and remember even if you aren’t doing the open bar please come down, enjoy the fight, and show some support.
-Matt Pellicane
It’s been three long months but this Friday Night will conclude this season of the Ultimate Fighter TUF Live. It will be Al Iaquinta against his former Team Faber teammate Mike Chiesa in what has the makings of a great final fight to cap off the show. Both fighters have worked hard and overcome different types of adversity to get to this point. It’s been great for all of Iaquinta Nation to come along for the ride, supporting Al every step of the way. We’ve all felt like we’ve been right in there with him every single fight.
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This is the 100th post on Iaquinta Nation. I know I’ve done this a lot this week but once again I want to thank everyone not only for their support for Al, but reading and supporting this blog every day. I also want to thank Al for giving me the opportunity to do this. It’s been my pleasure to work on his blog and cover everything that’s been going on with him throughout this season of TUF. It’s been a great way to keep everyone in the loop about everything that’s been going on over the past three months. It’s allowed me, as well as the rest of you to come along for the ride and be there every step of the way with Al throughout this journey. I’ve always enjoyed writing and this has been a great way for me to get back to doing that. It never felt like I was doing work. I was fortunate enough to be writing something about a sport I really enjoy as well as one of my best friends. Congratulations to Al on his success this season, and being one step closer to his goal of winning a UFC contract. As far as this blog, please continue reading because the best is yet to come.
-Matt Pellicane
Check out this ARTICLE featuring former UFC Welterweight Champion Matt Serra. Matt has been Al’s trainer along side Ray Longo and Eric Hyer for the past four years. All three trainers as well as everyone from the Serra Longo fight team has been a huge part of helping Al get to where he is at this point. Serra talks about Al and the success he’s had this season, as well as his thoughts on Al’s future in the UFC. If you have a few extra minutes watch the video with the article as well. Serra is always an entertaining guy to listen to during an interview.
Photo by UFC
Check out the final edition of “Anik Attack” featuring UFC’s Jon Anik. Watch the video HERE where Anik discusses both Chiesa and Iaquinta’s Semi Final Fights, and looks ahead to their match up against each other. As always some interesting insights from Jon about both Iaquinta and Chiesa. Enjoy!
Photo by UFC
Check out Al in the final edition of Newsday’s “TUF Talk” right HERE. Al talks about his upcoming fight with Mike Chiesa, Matt Serra and Ray Longo, as well as his plans once he returns back home. As always a big thank you to Mark La Monica for setting this up each week. All of Iaquinta Nation really appreciates it.
Photo by UFC
This weeks interview is with the man himself Al Iaquinta. I want to thank him for sitting and talking to me for a few minutes earlier today. I know he has a lot going on so I’m glad we could have a few minutes to talk. It was great actually being able to talk to the person who this blog is about. This Friday night Al will take on Mike Chiesa with a UFC contract on the line. Once Al is back in New York and settled well have a sit down, video interview to talk about this entire experience. For now here’s a look into Al’s week, his journey back into the real world, and a look into his fight this Friday. Continue Reading
Check out this great interview with Al by MMA Heat’s Karyn Bryant. Bryant talks to Al about his experience in the house, re-entering the real world, and his upcoming fight in the Finale with Mike Chiesa. Al gives some of his thoughts on Dana White, and his coach Urijah Faber as well. Watch the video HERE and check back with Iaquinta Nation all week for constant updates. Everyone enjoy the rest of the Holiday weekend.
Once again Al and I want to thank everyone for all the support. Week after week all of Iaquinta Nation never disappoints, and does a great job representing #TeamIaquinta. As Al becomes connected back to the world again after three months, he’s able to see how overwhelming the support is, and he really appreciates it. Please go to UltimateFighter.com and Vote for Al for best fight against Myles Jury OR Vinc Pichel, and best knock out against Andy Ogle. It only takes about a minute and you can vote once a day. The winner in each respected category wins 25K! Once again thank you for the continued support and taking a minute each day to vote.
Iaquinta Nation 