Al Iaquinta: I think I'm already in Jorge Masvidal's head
With three knockout victories in a row, New York native Al Iaquinta is ready to tackle the best fighters in the world at 155 pounds and his next mission takes place this weekend at UFC Fight Night: Mendes vs. Lamas.
Iaquinta made his way to the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter and while he didn't win his season of the series, he might end up being the best prospect to come off the show.
Working with the same team responsible for crafting current middleweight king Chris Weidman, Iaquinta knows he's just now coming into his prime and the rest of the 155-pound division should really start to worry about that.
"I'm training with the best guys. Ray (Longo) and Matt (Serra), in my opinion, are the best coaches. Everyone on our team is home grown. We're Long Island guys. We're all cut from the same cloth. They know how to train us to get us where we want to go," Iaquinta told FOX Sports.
"I've been this good, I've hurt every guy that I've fought. Now I'm finishing them. I'm getting them hurt and keeping them hurt."
Iaquinta's three-fight knockout streak is currently the longest in the lightweight division, and he would love to add No. 4 this weekend. During his current run, Iaquinta has finished some incredibly tough opponents, including former Ultimate Fighter winner Ross Pearson as well as perennial fight bonus winner, Joe Lauzon.
Iaquinta's boxing might be some of the best in the entire division, but he's just itching to prove what he can do on the ground whenever he gets the chance. He believes once the world sees just how complete he is as a fighter, he'll be well on his way to the top of the lightweight division.
"I can beat anyone in this division, any day," Iaquinta said. "No one's seen a glimpse yet of what I can do on the ground. I got caught in a submission and I think that's everyone's last memory. I got slick stuff on the ground that I'm dying to pull out.
"With all the talk Masvidal's doing, I think he'll be shooting in for the takedowns. I'll be very glad to show off my ground skills for sure."
"The talk," as Iaquinta calls it, has been a string of interviews Masvidal has done in the lead up to their fight this weekend in Virginia. Masvidal has been rather vocal about how Iaquinta doesn't belong in this fight -- not to mention he's said this matchup is like "a boy taking on a man."
Iaquinta isn't exactly searching out whatever Masvidal says to react to it, but in today's information age it's hard to avoid the subject thanks to Twitter and other social networks where he has to hear about it on almost a daily basis.
Iaquinta is happy to answer Masvidal's charge when they finally face off on Saturday.
"I've seen a little bit of it on Twitter, but I haven't really heard any interviews with him. A bunch of people have told me he just sounds completely ignorant whenever he talks," Iaquinta said. "I'm not really taking too much of what he says to heart. I've heard he said 'fight like a man' -- well I've got three knockouts in a row, so you're going to get a fight with me.
"He wants me to get a little crazy and he's going to try to wrestle me like he's done his last couple of fights. I feel like I should be the one saying it to him. I know what I'm going to do. I think I'm already in his head."
Despite some pre-fight trash talk shared between the two competitors, Iaquinta isn't taking Masvidal lightly, and he knows this is a big challenge if he plans on tackling the top 10 fighters in the 155-pound division this year.
The way Iaquinta sees it, Masvidal is a perfect test to prove he belongs amongst the best lightweights in the world and he wants to pass it with flying colors.
"He's been around the game, he's a veteran. But the thing that he's missing, he's not hungry, he's not young, up and coming anymore," Iaquinta said. "I've seen what all these guys have and I'm going for it. No one's going to stop me. This is my time to get what's mine."
