Al Iaquinta has been waiting a long time for a big opportunity to come his way.
Since his time on season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, the Long Island-based powerhouse has been scrapping it out inside the Octagon in the hope of making it to the next tier of competition in the competitive lightweight division. While that quest has come with setbacks, the Serra-Longo fight team standout has found his rhythm as of late.
The 27-year-old New Yorker has won four of his six showings since joining the UFC back in 2012, including his current run where “Raging'” Al has found success in four of his last five bouts.
His most recent victory came at the expense of Rodrigo Damm back in September, as Iaquinta stopped the veteran Brazilian fighter with a brutal flurry in the third round of their tilt. While his finish was ultimately a memorable highlight, Iaquinta‘s performance in the bout up until the moment he put Damm away was arguably his best showing to date under the UFC banner.
“I felt really good,” Iaquinta told Bleacher Report about his victory over Damm. “I showed a lot of what I can do, but not everything. There is a lot more coming. We are going to keep stepping it up. What you are seeing is me getting more comfortable in the cage. I’m showing glimpses of what I’m able to do in sparring, and that’s going to keep coming out more and more in the cage. My next fight will be a great fight to show that off.”
Iaquinta and his team believed his win over Damm was a surefire sign his skills were meeting his expected potential, and apparently the UFC brass agreed with that notion as well.
Rather than give the Wantagh representative another bout under the proverbial radar, the promotion pitted him against a recognizable and highly ranked name in Ross Pearson for his next outing. Iaquinta will square off with “The Real Deal” at Fight Night 55 in Sydney, Australia, on Nov. 8, and it’s the exact type of opportunity he’s been looking for inside the Octagon.
“This fight is big for me,” Iaquinta said. “It’s a great fight for me. For my last five fights I’ve had to explain who my opponents were to people. People would ask me who I’m fighting, and when I said Rodrigo Damm they would say, ‘Who is that?’ I would have to explain he’s a jiu-jitsu guy and what not, but now, when I say Ross Pearson everyone goes, ‘Oh man, that’s a great fight.’ Everyone knows who he is and eyes are going to be on this fight for sure. It’s going to be a good fight. I’m excited.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com