Photo by UFC
If you haven’t seen the full episode of Iaquinta vs. Jury or you just want to watch all the excitement again check it out right HERE via UltimateFighter.com Big thank you to The Ultimate Fighter website for posting the episode. Be sure to check back here all week for updates, a new interview, and much more. Also a reminder to please contact me if you’re interested in picking up the official Iaquinta Nation T-Shirt!
If you recall from Al’s fight last week there was an extended break leading into the third sudden death round. Instead of the normal one minute break, there was a break of at least four or five minutes, almost a full round. For Iaquinta the later rounds is where he’s at his toughest. The strongest part of his game is out working his opponent in the later rounds. The extended break gave Myles Jury a lot of extra time to recover. The problem has to be fixed and the format needs to stay consistent with the standard UFC rules. Dana White was upset about the long delay in between rounds and spoke about it HERE via MMAjunkie.com White discusses the dangers of the long break and what he feels needs to be done to fix it. White has a strong personality and if he thinks something needs to be corrected there’s no doubt it won’t be an issue in the future.
This weeks episode got right back into all the action from the Iaquinta Jury fight. Dana White offered some of his thoughts on last weeks battle. He touched on Jury’s ability to “land some good knees, was hitting head kicks at will.” He discussed Al hitting some big shots of his own, constantly moving forward, pushing the pace. The action made for an exciting first round that White thought although it was very close, Jury edged out. He went on to discuss that he was impressed by both fighters in the second round including the big knee by Jury, as well as the even bigger right hand by Al. He felt Al without question won the second. White spoke about the importance of the sudden victory third round. “The 3rd round is Holy Shit, I just got another opportunity to show I want to be here” White explained. Dominick Cruz spoke about Jury in the third round and how he “had never had a grinder fight like this.” He went on to explain how in a fight like that forward pressure is everything. If you don’t throw first you can wind up loosing. Both White and Cruz felt Al controlled and pushed the entire pace of the third round to secure a victory. Continue Reading
Photo by UFC
Don’t forget to watch Al on a brand new episode of The Ultimate Fighter TUF Live tonight on FX at 10 pm. With a big win by Iaquinta over Myles Jury last week Team Faber gains control and looks to make it two in a row. Fighting for Team Faber will be Mike Chiesa against Team Cruz’s Jeremy Larsen. I’m sure most of you remember Chiesa from this seasons first episode, most of which revolved around the passing of his ill father. Chiesa spoke about how this is exactly where his father would want him to be, working hard and pursuing his dream. It’ll be nice to see Chiesa get a big win for himself, his family, his team, and most importantly his father. Make sure to watch it’s going to be a good one. Also a reminder Iaquinta Nation T- shirts are in. Get all the important information HERE! Enjoy the show, have a great weekend, and a Happy Easter.
Offical Iaquinta Nation T-Shirt
There’s been a lot of people asking me about Iaquinta Nation T- Shirts over the passed few weeks. If everything goes to plan with the good people at Fed Ex I should have the shirts tomorrow. Please message me on Twitter, Facebook, or email me at Mpellica@nyit.edu if you’re interested. In the message let me know how many shirts you want and what sizes. Shirts are going to be $20. This first order is just T-shirts but the next one I’m going to get tank tops for the summer as well. I’ll keep you all posted on that. A big thank you to Justin Browne for creating the Iaquinta Nation design. The shirts(shown below) have the Iaquinta Nation blog header on the front, Serra Longo Fight Team on the side of the shirt, and #TeamIaquinta on the back. Simple, to the point, and a great way to show some support for Al. Put your orders in now and I’ll get you your Iaquinta Nation T-shirt ASAP!
-Matt Pellicane
(Left to Right) Matt Serra, Ray Longo, Al Iaquinta, Eric Hyer
While discussing the great training behind Al Iaquinta in the past weeks there’s two names that are always a staple in the conversation. Those names are Ray Longo and Matt Serra. Yet there’s one name that should be thrown in the mix that is equally important and that’s Eric Hyer. Eric is Al’s Muay Thai coach, and has been a critical part of helping Al improve his game over the years.
Photo by UFC
Check out another great video of Al HERE via UltimateFighter.com Al takes us through his entire fight day leading up to the fight, the fight itself, as well as the aftermath. Great to hear some of Al’s thoughts about his big win over Myles Jury, and what’s been going on in his mind following the fight. Also check out Al’s weekly video on Newsday.com HERE. As always thank you to Newsday’s Mark La Monica for putting it all together. If you have any questions that you want Al to answer send them to Mark on Twitter (@LaMonicaMark)
Enjoy and check back here tomorrow for info on Iaquinta Nation T-shirts as well as a new interview!
Photo by UFC
Check out “Anik Attack” HERE via the Ultimate Fighter Website. The video offers highlights of Iaquinta’s fight as well as Jon Anik delivering some great post fight coverage. Now with Team Faber in control Anik also looks forward to next weeks match up of Mike Chiesa against Jeremy Larsen. Be sure to check back here all week for more coverage as well as interviews.
Once again a very special thank you to everyone who came down to McCanns Friday night to watch Al’s fight especially everyone from the Serra Longo Fight Team. Just like last time the McCanns crew worked their asses off and didn’t disappoint. I hope everyone had an awesome time. Don’t forget McCanns is the number one spot to watch all UFC PPV’s and every episode of TUF Live.
It’s really great to have a prime location for everyone to get together and support Al. Even though he doesn’t know about it now, believe me he appreciates it, and it means a lot to him. If you weren’t able to make it down to the bar Friday Night here’s some pictures.
Last but not least check out this great VIDEO by AJ Ingrilli giving you a look into the crowd reaction during the decision Friday Night!
Photo by UFC
If you haven’t had a chance to read today’s paper yet make sure to check out Al in Newsday HERE! Al talks about his fight from Friday night, life in the house, and even a minor injury no one knew about. Some great direct quotes from him as well so make sure you take a few minutes and give it a read. As always a big thank you to Mark La Monica for his hard work.
Iaquinta Nation 