Ultimate Fighter

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Fight Week- Iaquinta gears up for UFC 169

Posted by MattPel on January 26, 2014
Posted in: Iaquinta Nation. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

AlHands

Following the night after a big match up between two fighters in the light weight division Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson(both ranked in the top 5) battled it out in a very technical five round fight that most fans think Henderson stole for a controversial win. Iaquinta prepares this week for a fight in the same weight division. For Al, or any fighter for that matter you always pay attention to other people in your weight division and different match ups. Yet for Iaquinta it’s this fight in front of him. No one else. That’s all you can do is beat the guy in front of you. Take it one fight at a time and if you keep getting these important wins your stock will only rise. Continue Reading

Quick Hits- Iaquinta vs. Lee UFC 169

Posted by MattPel on January 11, 2014
Posted in: Iaquinta Nation. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 1 Comment

ALUFC

Talk to us about your last fight going to England and fighting Piotr Hallman. Your thoughts on England and having the opportunity to fight there?

It was a great experience. It was a part of the world I probably never would have gotten a chance to see, a really awesome opportunity. It was a great fight in the octagon under the lights, against a tough opponent. The fight did a great job getting me ready for the next one.

At UFC 169 you’ll have a chance to keep this win streak going taking on new comer Kevin Lee. What are your initial thoughts on what you’ve seen from him so far?

He has a lot of amateur experience just like I did. He’s got a long reach, good stand up, and a decent wrestling background. At the end of the day I don’t think he’s faced the same quality of guys that I have.

Lee has won his last three fights by way of submission. How will this change your approach if at all?

I’ll look at what he does and be prepared for it. Otherwise I’m working on my game and fine tuning everything that I do well, making sure I bring my best game into the octagon.

It’s difficult getting into someone else’s head, but do you think a young 21 year old Lee will have a difficult time adjusting to a big stage on National TV?

It can be, it really depends on the person and how they react to it. Regardless all I can do is prepare the best I can and expect that he’ll be ready to go.

"At the end of the day I don't think he's faced the same quality of guy's that I have."

“At the end of the day I don’t think he’s faced the same quality of guy’s that I have.”

Injuries canceled your fight at UFC 159. Now you have another opportunity to fight locally in front of friends, family, and teammates. How important is that for you after traveling so far from home for your last two fights?

The support I’ve gotten from my friends and family is really awesome. They always get together to watch the fights, being able to have them there live is great. I’m lucky enough to always have friends and family attending my fights, having it so close will hopefully get a lot of people down who can’t normally make it. It’s great having them there to support me and watch my back.

Your TUF coach Urijah Faber was just added to the UFC 169 card to fill in for the injured Dominick Cruz and fight Renan Barao for the Bantamweight title. What are your thoughts on that fight?

It’s an awesome opportunity for him, he’s had an unbelievable year. I think his hard work will pay off and he’ll come home with the strap.

You we’re just recently out in California for several weeks training with Urijah Faber and Team Alpha Male. Tell us about that experience and having the opportunity to train with those guys.

They have a bunch of great guys to train with right around my weight. Everyone who trains there has a great attitude, they’re a pleasure to train with. They’ve given me some great tips to add to my game that I’ll carry into this upcoming fight.

Any additional thoughts or comments?

Thank you everyone for the support, looking forward to the fight in a few weeks. Hope you all can make it to the Prudential Center. Follow me on Twitter @AlIaquinta, IaquintaMMA.com, or right here at Iaquinta Nation!

-Matt Pellicane

 

First Look- Iaquinta vs. Lee

Posted by MattPel on January 9, 2014
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al-faber2
On Febuary 1st Al Iaquinta will once again step back into the octagon for the third time in six months. This time around his opponent will be UFC new comer Kevin Lee. Iaquinta will look to give the undefeated Lee a very unfriendly welcome to the UFC as he looks to make it three wins in a row, his first of the new year.

Iaquinta comes off yet another impressive performance against another undefeated fighter Piotr Hallman. Al traveled all the way to England for the fight and continued the same momentum from his previous fight against Ryan Couture, putting in an impressive performance for a unanimous decision win. Another opponent that was considered to be a tough challenge, resulting in another win for Iaquinta. Continue Reading

Iaquinta vs. Lee Ticket Info

Posted by MattPel on December 24, 2013
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UFC_169_event_poster

On February 1st, Superbowl weekend Al Iaquinta will join a card at the Prudential Center with several exciting fights including a long awaited main event for the Bantamweight title between Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao. If you live locally I would suggest making the trip for what will be a great night of fights and to show Al some support. Looking forward to getting all of Iaquinta Nation together for a Live fight. Several people have been asking me about ticket information. A long with a few other people I’ve purchased tickets in Section 102, Row 4. As of right now those tickets we’re going for around $100. A great deal for those seats. The prices WILL go up. I would suggest getting tickets as soon as possible. Try to purchase tickets in Section 102 or as close to it as possible this way we can all be together during Al’s fight. Tickets can be purchased right on UFC’s website.

As far as transportation to the fight, as of right now there isn’t anything planned. If you aren’t driving there are ways to get to the venue via train. If you have any other questions feel free to email me at MattPellicane@gmail.com Happy Holidays, talk to everyone soon.

 

The view from McCann’s on Saturday

Posted by MattPel on October 29, 2013
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Celebrate

Once again I’d like to thank everyone who made it down to McCann’s Pub and Grill for the fight. Just a reminder McCann’s is a proud sponsor of Iaquinta as well. I know this was different being a Saturday afternoon fight, and I thought it was great that we we’re still able to have such an awesome turnout. I hope everyone who came down enjoyed themselves. It always my pleasure to put it together. If it was your first time there remember McCann’s is the number one spot in town to watch all UFC Events. Here’s a few pictures from Saturday afternoon. See you all back there soon.

 

Watch Iaquinta vs. Hallmann

Posted by MattPel on October 28, 2013
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ufc-tv-stream

I know a lot of people have been asking me where they can watch Iaquinta vs. Hallmann. I was looking around for a free copy of the fight to post here and unfortunately was unable to find one. The other issue with that is usually within a day or so they take any illegal copies of the fight offline. For only one dollar you can go right to UFC’s website and watch the fight in HD quality. Follow this link and then take a minute to make an account. If you have any questions please let me know. Enjoy.

Iaquinta wins second straight in Manchester

Posted by MattPel on October 28, 2013
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Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

In his second fight in three months once again it was Al Iaquinta scoring a tough and well fought win over Piotr Hallmann Saturday afternoon. After a first round that could have went either way, the second and third rounds Iaquinta clearly started to fall into his groove. During his time on TUF Live Iaquinta once said “the later rounds always belong to me.” He stood strong by those words. As the fight progressed Iaquinta became stronger and more dominant, scoring another Unanimous decision win for his second fight in a row. Continue Reading

Fight Night- Iaquinta vs. Hallmann

Posted by MattPel on October 25, 2013
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Alposttitlefight

Once again it’s about that time everyone, it’s Fight Night! (Excuse this post being just a little early as I have a wedding to go to tonight and then a quick turn around tomorrow afternoon) After a few confusing weeks of opponent changing due to injuries, it’s Iaquinta and Hallmann filling the spot on Saturday’s Fight Night 30 card. Iaquinta comes in strong following the most impressive performance of his young career against Ryan Couture. On the opposite side Piotr Hallmann enters the bout coming off a great comeback win of his own. Leaving one question. Which fighter best carries that momentum into Saturday’s fight? My money is on Iaquinta.

A different song and dance this time around for Iaquinta. Going into his last fight at UFC 164 Al was coming off a year layoff, and had dealt with several different injuries a long the way. This weekend Iaquinta enters his fight against Hallmann coming off a big victory, and more importantly is 100% healthy. In fact Iaquinta was right back in the gym two days later, getting ready for whatever his next challenge would be. That challenge is Hallmann. Although Piotr Hallman may indeed be a challenge I think he’s going to see another level of opponent in Iaquinta. Continue Reading

Iaquinta Nations 200th Post

Posted by MattPel on October 24, 2013
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iaquinta-nation

Sorry for overloading you guys with the posts today. I’m happy to announce this is Iaquinta Nations 200th Post. I know this is a busy few days but I wanted to take a minute and acknowledge that. For those of you that are new to checking out the Blog, I started it last March when Al was on TUF Live. It was a great way to keep everyone in the loop with everything that was going on with Al on the show. It’s been a perfect forum to share pictures, videos, interviews, articles,  and much more. First off I just want to thank Al. For those of you that know me I really enjoy writing so this has been a great opportunity for me to do that on the regular. Outside of being a close friend, it’s been a lot of fun doing some work with Al, and I look forward to doing big things in the future. Just as important I want to thank all of you for reading. I appreciate the feedback and support, and I know Al appreciates all the support as well. I’m always open to new ideas. So please if you ever have any suggestions or want to get involved in any way contact me anytime. Thank you again.

-Matt Pellicane

 

Check out Al in Newsday

Posted by MattPel on October 24, 2013
Posted in: Iaquinta Nation. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Al-Faber

When you have a chance check out Al in Newsday this week. As always a big thank you to our friend Mark La Monica (@LaMonicaMark) for putting the article together. Mark is one of the best in the game and always does a great job covering Mixed Martial Arts as well as local fighters. Be sure to regularly check out Newdays MMA Section!