Michael Bisping on Al Iaquinta’s rage against the UFC: Going ‘against the system’ not smart

Bisping gives ‘Raging Al’ some advice about negotiating with the UFC.

They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but Al Iaquinta’s recent tirade against the UFC might not be the best move for his MMA career.

Iaquinta returned to the Octagon after a two-year hiatus due to a contract dispute, swiftly knocking out MMA veteran Diego Sanchez in the first round at UFC Fight Night 108.

Then, after the bout, the 29-year-old knockout artist slammed the UFC in a series of tweets for not giving him a post-fight bonus and told head promoter Dana White to ‘shut the f-ck up’.

Hey @ufc go fuck yourself

— Al Iaquinta (@ALIAQUINTA) April 23, 2017

While Iaquinta has a lucrative career in real-estate, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping thinks Raging Al has the potential to make more money in mixed martial arts and offered the Serra-Longo product some advice.

‘The Count’ has no problem with Iaquinta speaking his mind but says he shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds him if he wants negotiations to go smoothly with the UFC in the future.

“I saw all these tweets and they are laden with spelling mistakes,” Bisping said on a recent episode of his podcast ‘Believe You Me’ (h/t Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania). “And I am not trying to insult his intelligence, I just know for a fact that he’s done all this after a few drinks. That is my assumption. Now listen, first and foremost, after the fight he was talking shit about the UFC. That’s his opinion, that’s his right, whatever you want to say. I’m, just saying, those tweets, in my opinion, after the fight, he’s at home he’s like, ’Fuck it, I’m out of training camp, I’m going to enjoy myself.’ So he’s taking to Twitter to vent his frustrations. That’s my assumption on that.

“He also went on ‘The MMA Hour’ and said, ‘Fuck the UFC if they don’t get behind me and I don’t need to fight.’ Listen, I like Al Iaquinta, I really do, I like the way he fights, he is very exciting, he’s a knockout artist and brings a lot to the table, but he’s not being the smartest man right now. He’s really not. He’s saying he can go off and become a real estate agent and make more money. The fact is you can’t, there is more money to be made in UFC and it’s as simple as that. Period. Al has the potential to be one of those guys and he has the potential to be a champion and make it to the money and be a fan favorite. But, going up against the UFC and saying, ‘Fuck you Dana’ and stuff like that, it’s just not smart. And I’m not saying you have to be an ass kisser, you don’t have to be, but in any line of work, and this will endear him to some people … and it’s fun to see people go on a rampage and go against the system; but think a little bit and don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Speak your mind, be honest, but you don’t have to go too crazy.”

Despite his prolonged absence from the sport, Iaquinta is still ranked as the No. 11 lightweight contender in the world and is on an impressive five fight win streak, beating the likes of Sanchez, Jorge Masvidal, and Joe Lauzon.

Iaquinta may take Bisping’s advice or walk away from the sport for good, as the New Yorker told reporters after his win over Sanchez that he isn’t sure if he wants to return for a low paycheck.

Bisping gives ‘Raging Al’ some advice about negotiating with the UFC.

They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, but Al Iaquinta’s recent tirade against the UFC might not be the best move for his MMA career.

Iaquinta returned to the Octagon after a two-year hiatus due to a contract dispute, swiftly knocking out MMA veteran Diego Sanchez in the first round at UFC Fight Night 108.

Then, after the bout, the 29-year-old knockout artist slammed the UFC in a series of tweets for not giving him a post-fight bonus and told head promoter Dana White to ‘shut the f-ck up’.

While Iaquinta has a lucrative career in real-estate, UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping thinks Raging Al has the potential to make more money in mixed martial arts and offered the Serra-Longo product some advice.

‘The Count’ has no problem with Iaquinta speaking his mind but says he shouldn’t bite the hand that feeds him if he wants negotiations to go smoothly with the UFC in the future.

“I saw all these tweets and they are laden with spelling mistakes,” Bisping said on a recent episode of his podcast ‘Believe You Me’ (h/t Adam Guillen Jr. of MMA Mania). “And I am not trying to insult his intelligence, I just know for a fact that he’s done all this after a few drinks. That is my assumption. Now listen, first and foremost, after the fight he was talking shit about the UFC. That’s his opinion, that’s his right, whatever you want to say. I’m, just saying, those tweets, in my opinion, after the fight, he’s at home he’s like, ’Fuck it, I’m out of training camp, I’m going to enjoy myself.’ So he’s taking to Twitter to vent his frustrations. That’s my assumption on that.

“He also went on ‘The MMA Hour’ and said, ‘Fuck the UFC if they don’t get behind me and I don’t need to fight.’ Listen, I like Al Iaquinta, I really do, I like the way he fights, he is very exciting, he’s a knockout artist and brings a lot to the table, but he’s not being the smartest man right now. He’s really not. He’s saying he can go off and become a real estate agent and make more money. The fact is you can’t, there is more money to be made in UFC and it’s as simple as that. Period. Al has the potential to be one of those guys and he has the potential to be a champion and make it to the money and be a fan favorite. But, going up against the UFC and saying, ‘Fuck you Dana’ and stuff like that, it’s just not smart. And I’m not saying you have to be an ass kisser, you don’t have to be, but in any line of work, and this will endear him to some people … and it’s fun to see people go on a rampage and go against the system; but think a little bit and don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Speak your mind, be honest, but you don’t have to go too crazy.”

Despite his prolonged absence from the sport, Iaquinta is still ranked as the No. 11 lightweight contender in the world and is on an impressive five fight win streak, beating the likes of Sanchez, Jorge Masvidal, and Joe Lauzon.

Iaquinta may take Bisping’s advice or walk away from the sport for good, as the New Yorker told reporters after his win over Sanchez that he isn’t sure if he wants to return for a low paycheck.