A very interesting co-main event will go down at lightweight from UFC 243 in Melbourne, Australia this weekend.
Al Iaquinta and Dan Hooker will step into the Octagon for three rounds at 155 pounds. Iaquinta comes off a unanimous decision loss to Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, while Hooker comes off a massive first-round knockout win over James Vick in July. Speaking to BJPenn.com, Iaquinta previewed his bout with “The Hangman,” who he plans on putting away quickly in front of his native crowd.
“I think he’s a very tough opponent. He’s the kind of guy that you got to put out. He doesn’t go out easily. So the goal is to put him out early,” Iaquinta said. “The goal is to finish the fight quick and easy. And I think that’s definitely a possibility.
“I have a lot of things that I’ve been working on that I think I could land early in the fight, but if not, I know he’s tough and I know it’ll be a 15 minute beat down. I’m in great shape, and I’ll be more than content to beat on him for the entire 15 minutes.”
Iaquinta knows he likely holds the wrestling advantage in the matchup, but is preparing for Hooker’s sneaky jiu-jitsu game to avoid getting caught while on top.
“Yeah, I don’t think they really wrestle in New Zealand too much, so if the opportunity presents itself for me to get a takedown, I think that that’s always a possibility,” he said. “He’s got some good submissions and stuff that I’ve been working on in the gym to just stay away from his strengths in that aspect.
“I’ve been training with guys that are so good and so technical, so strong, so tough, that anything he throws at me — he’s got a few things that are very dangerous — but I think anything he throws at me will be something I’ve seen before.”
Who do you think will leave Melbourne victorious at UFC 243 between Iaquinta and Hooker?
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