Tag: Al Iaquinta

Al Iaquinta Trolls Sage Northcutt In Hilarious Twitter Outburst

Only a day after he drew the attention of the MMA world by telling UFC President Dana White to ‘shut his f***ing mouth’ (among other things), rising UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta continues to go off on his employers and everyone remotely close to them. Today, Iaquinta took to his Twitter page to blast Reebok with

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Only a day after he drew the attention of the MMA world by telling UFC President Dana White to ‘shut his f***ing mouth’ (among other things), rising UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta continues to go off on his employers and everyone remotely close to them.

Today, Iaquinta took to his Twitter page to blast Reebok with some well-timed tweets full of questionable spelling, claiming the UFC’s apparel company was trying to work out some sort of deal with him:

Apparently ‘Raging Al’ thought they were against him, calling them out for choosing Sage Northcutt to be their representative instead of him and adding that he’d take out ‘little bitch’ ‘Super’ Sage:

Iaquinta then seemed to come back down to earth somewhat, actually praising Reebok’s products with more slightly ineligible words:

Sounds like he was trying to say “I’ll give that to them,” but either way, it’s more solid gold from an increasingly more notorious fighter who has become famous more for his outspoken crusade against the “Big Brother”-like UFC brass despite his actual performances in the cage, where he’s won his last five fights including four by stoppage and eight of his last nine overall.

Iaquinta returned from over two years away from the sport selling at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 108 from Nashville, demolishing longtime fan favorite Diego Sanchez with an absolutely vicious right hook and a follow-up straight that could legitimately be dubbed the hardest punch of the year. But he was ultimately noncommittal about ever returning to the UFC after complaining about his pay for years and arguing with the company to pay for a knee surgery he had during his hiatus.

He also ‘raged’ on a good portion of the lightweight division, first calling out rising prospect Kevin Lee, whom he defeated at UFC 169 in January 2014, for not being able to throw a shot like he can:

‘Ragiing’ Al must have then caught wind that he was misspelling a few words, correcting himself with the actual name he wanted to throw Lee’s way:

He didn’t let up on Lee, either, further mocking his striking prowess:

Iaquinta then shifted his focus to Mitch Clarke, who submitted him at UFC 173 in May 2014:

He wouldn’t stop there, giving Bobby Green credit for being able to punch but calling him mentally weak in his own unique way with a sassy new hashtag:

For a man who said it was probable he wouldn’t fight again, he’s certainly calling out a lot of fighters, and for someone who has been publicly blasting his employer for years, he did something incredibly strange by offering to fight all the fighters he just trolled for free:

It wouldn’t seem like Iaquinta is truly out of the game just yet whether he likes his contract or not, and his latest rant makes it look like he wants to get hype rolling for his next bout.

With that perhaps in mind, Iaquinta had only one reaction for someone who asked him about fighting the winner of Eddie Alvarez vs. Dustin Poirier at May 13’s UFC 211:

At the end of the day booking Iaquinta in a high-profile bout is probably what’s best for both Iaquinta and the UFC, because he currently looks like one of the most dangerous knockout sluggers in the extremely talented UFC 155-pound landscape, and could benefit from a step up in competition.

The company has a potential star on their hand for the rapidly-developing New York market, and all they have to do is pay him a little more money that would pale in comparison to the massive sum they paid for the UFC – and the amounts they’re saving by cutting loose a large portion of the former staff and hordes of competitors.

The UFC could kill two two birds with one stone in doing so, as well, alleviating some of the massive pressure they’re feeling from the backlash of fans that have made rating plummet during a horrific start to 2017.

But their actions would suggest they simply don’t care, so Iaquinta will most likely continue to be at odds with his bosses for the foreseeable future.

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Al Iaquinta With Epic Twitter Rant, Calls Out Sage Northcutt, Others

Al Iaquinta is one fired up UFC lightweight. Days after knocking out Diego Sanchez in Nashville, Iaquinta has continued his rage outside the Octagon. Iaquinta, a former Ultimate Fighter runner-up, let it be known he wasn’t happy with being passed over for a “Fight Night” bonus. Well, he continued with more expletive language on Twitter […]

Al Iaquinta is one fired up UFC lightweight. Days after knocking out Diego Sanchez in Nashville, Iaquinta has continued his rage outside the Octagon. Iaquinta, a former Ultimate Fighter runner-up, let it be known he wasn’t happy with being passed over for a “Fight Night” bonus. Well, he continued with more expletive language on Twitter […]

UFC Fight Night 108 Medical Suspensions: Four Fighters Face Long Layoff

With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 108, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions. A featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headlined the event while Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez in a lightweight bout

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With every decision comes a consequence and for those fighters who took part in battle at UFC Fight Night 108, it’s their time to faces those consequences in the form of medical suspensions.

A featherweight bout between Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov headlined the event while Al Iaquinta vs. Diego Sanchez in a lightweight bout served as the co-main event. Rounding out the main card were Ovince Saint Preux vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a light heavyweight bout, John Dodson vs. Eddie Wineland in a bantamweight bout, Joe Lauzon vs. Stevie Ray in a lightweight bout and Jake Ellenberger vs. Mike Perry in a welterweight bout.

Some of the more notable suspensions include Lobov being suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for right foot, Marcos Rogerio de Lima being suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for cut and Mike Perry being suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for nose.

Here are the entire medical suspensions:

Cub Swanson: suspended 7 days with 7 days no contact

Artem Lobov: suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for right foot

Diego Sanchez: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact

Marcos Rogerio de Lima: suspended 60 days or until cleared by physician and 30 days no contact for cut

Eddie Wineland: suspended 60 days and 60 days no contact or until cleared by physician

Joe Lauzon: suspended 60 days and 60 days no contact or until cleared by physician for cut

Stevie Ray: suspended 30 days with 14 days no contact for cut

Mike Perry: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for nose

Jake Ellenberger: suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact

Sam Alvey: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for left ankle

Dustin Ortiz: suspended 60 days with 45 days no contact

Scott Holtzman: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for possible right foot fracture

Michael McBride: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact for hard bout

Cindy Dandois: suspended 180 days and 180 days no contact or until cleared by physician for possible right foot fracture

Joe Proctor: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact

Matt Schnell: suspended 45 days with 30 days no contact

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Al Iaquinta Tells Dana White To ‘Shut His F***ing Mouth’

Al Iaquinta scored one of the most impressive victories of his MMA career when he demolished longtime fan favorite Diego Sanchez in the co-main event of April 22’s UFC Fight Night 108 from Nashville, but instead of celebrating the huge knockout win, “Raging” Al continues to focus on his long-standing feud with the UFC and

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Al Iaquinta scored one of the most impressive victories of his MMA career when he demolished longtime fan favorite Diego Sanchez in the co-main event of April 22’s UFC Fight Night 108 from Nashville, but instead of celebrating the huge knockout win, “Raging” Al continues to focus on his long-standing feud with the UFC and their way of treating fighters.

After touching on his beef with the UFC in his post-fight interview, Iaquinta continued to go off on his employers on social media in the moments directly following the fight, and today (Mon., April 24, 2017), the Long Island-born fighter elaborated on just why he’s so incensed with the UFC during an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani.

Iaquinta, who made headlines by destroying a hotel room when he failed to receive a post-fight bonus for his knockout of longtime bonus winner Joe Lauzon, didn’t receive one for knocking out Sanchez, either, and believes the UFC uses the broken reward system to control fighters:

“If anything, I hate that even more now,. Just not winning the bonuses, I don’t know. I don’t know whether they didn’t give it to me because I didn’t deserve it, or whether they didn’t give it to me to kind of shaft me, because they said in the past that I wasn’t eligible to win bonuses and maybe they’re just sticking it to me. The whole bonus thing is just ridiculous. The fact that they’re giving $50,000 bonuses, it’s like their little way to control everybody.

“I don’t understand how everyone just thinks that’s normal. Fifty-thousand dollar bonus — a bonus is like a little something extra. Fifty-thousand dollars is like three times some of these guys’ pay. That’s not a bonus. That’s like life-changing stuff. And oh, it looks great. But guess what? That’s their little way to control you. You’ve got to suck up to the man. You suck up to the man, you get on the mic, you thank Joe Silva, ‘thank you guys, you guys are the best, thank you Dana White, thank you Lorenzo Fertitta,’ and those are the guys who get the bonuses. So it’s their little way. Like, ‘kiss my ass and I’ll give you a little scrap.’

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Iaquinta noted he had set up an alternative way of supporting himself during his recent two-year hiatus from fighting to recover from knee surgery. He’s now carving out a career in real estate if fighting doesn’t pan out, and he’s clearly sticking to his stance that he’ll never become a UFC stooge after they wouldn’t pay for his surgery:

“But I don’t have to do that anymore. I don’t care. I took time out of my life to set myself up to where I don’t have to suck up to anybody, and I can do it my way. And if I want to fight again, I’ll fight. And if not, I’m not the guy who’s kissing up to the UFC.

“I don’t fight for the UFC. I fight for myself, I fight for my team, my family. The UFC has done nothing. They’ve done nothing for me. They freakin’ left me high and dry. I had to beg them for freakin’ knee surgery.”

Understandably angered by the injury and how he was and is treated financially, Iaquinta described a scene where UFC President Dana White was blasting fighters who put their health on the line by calling the best part of the recent UFC 208 pay-per-view (PPV) ‘the plane ride home.’ Iaquinta correctly pointed out that White does not know what it’s like to suffer harm as a fighter, and to completely write off the sacrifices they make is insulting:

“What I would like is to just be financially set to where, if I get hurt and I’m out for two years, I don’t have to worry about teaching private lessons to pay my mortgage,” Iaquinta said.

“Is that crazy? I’m a professional freakin’ athlete who just was on TV, FOX Sports 1 co-main event, and $50,000 is what I walk away with? Are you kidding me?

“Dana White has done a lot for this sport, but he’s not gotten one injury from this sport. And for him to say, ‘the best part of UFC Brooklyn was the flight home’ — you’re on a private jet, bro. Shut the f*ck up. You’re on a private jet. Most people, that would be the highlight of their life. Forget the night. You’re on a private jet, of course it’s the highlight of your night. Two guys are fighting in a cage, getting hurt. Jim Miller probably couldn’t [walk]. Who was the leg kicks, someone was getting their f*cking leg kicked in? [White] owes an apology to all those motherf*ckers. That’s some bullsh*t. Shut your f*cking mouth.”

Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

With fighter pay arguably the hottest topic of discussion in the year following WME-IMG’s $4.2 billion purchase of the company from Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, there remains little if any feasible representation for fighters in a selfish sport, as the many proposed unions and associations have floundered with little to no progress made.

Iaquinta believes it’s actually White and the UFC who should be pushing for a union just like the UFC pushed the Reebok deal on the fighters. If the two sides could simply work together – an unlikely outcome as revnue would have to be shared with fighters more fairly – then the Reebok deal could actualy become a positive thing according to Iaquinta.

But since they only want to try to force him to sign less than lucrative contracts as White blasts fighters’ performance in a very dangerous blood sport, Iaquinta instead had some choice words for the bosses he believes have given him the shaft:

“I think Dana White is the one who should be pushing (for a fighters union),” Iaquinta said. “It’s not going to be great for them, but he should be the one pushing for it.

“Their whole thing with the Reebok deal is, ‘it’s like an investment for the future.’ Alright, so invest in the future and get this union going. Help the fighters, and you know what, we could work with the Reebok deal. We could make it so that everyone is happy. But shove a piece of paper in my face, you say ‘sign this or you’re getting released,’ I want to say f*ck you. That’s not how you do things. That’s not the right way. It’s gotta be done right, and the Reebok deal could be good in some way.

“There would be a way to make me happy, to make us (happy). Are the rest of the fighters not seeing this? I don’t understand how they just take it up the ass all the time. It’s f*cking bullsh*t. It really is. For what we do, f*ck man, (Jake) Ellenberger got elbowed (on Saturday), he was unconscious for a while and I was like, ‘f*ck, I don’t even want to fight. Do I even want to do this?’ I almost left the f*cking arena, I was like f*ck this. And [White] is going to say that ‘the best part is the ride home.’ Shut the f*ck up. Are you kidding me? Go f*ck yourself. Don’t ever talk about a fighter like that. You’re not a fighter. You don’t do it. You don’t know. All those guys.”

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Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC

So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

The post Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC appeared first on Cagepotato.

So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

The Strong Island native (that’s right, I said it) proved once again why he should be considered a hot commodity in the UFC. The guy is young, talented, and sharp when it comes to his striking ability. With a two year lay off, people were thinking that Al Iaquinta may not have had that pop anymore, that the sport was leaving him in the rear view. He shut up those critics pretty emphatically with his knockout victory over veteran Diego Sanchez. The interesting part about the win for ‘Raging’ Al however was the fact that he didn’t truly have a chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

While I still believe that the UFC is the biggest, brightest, and most talent rich promotion in the world, it’s becoming obvious that fighters are getting more and more disgruntled. When you consider the fact that Iaquinta received $26,000 to show and another $26,000 to win, it’s easy to see why the talented lightweight would consider walking away from the sport. He could easily find himself up there with some of the best of the best in the lightweight division and the fact that he’s getting underpaid to knockout fighters that are getting paid more than him is a major issue that the promotion needs to solve.

Make no mistake, Al Iaquinta could easily become a star in the UFC. He could have New York on his back much in the same vain his stablemate Chris Weidman has been doing for years now. But if the UFC is content to let their high level talent seek other employment because they won’t show them the money, then you can bet your ass that Al Iaquinta will be taking his real estate career pretty damn seriously moving forward.

Do you think the UFC is making a mistake not paying Al Iaquinta the big bucks?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

The post Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC appeared first on Cagepotato.

Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC

So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

The post Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC appeared first on Cagepotato.

So, another week, another UFC event where fighters put it all on the line for a chance at glory. Cub Swanson and Artem Lobov had a pretty entertaining scrap in which ‘The Russian Hammer’ showed that he’s perhaps more talented than we first gave him credit for. Lobov by no means is a world beater, but the fact that he was competitive with Cub Swanson shows that he does indeed have some talent. With so many different fights on the card it’s hard to pick one out of the bunch to highlight. But for me, one fighter comes to mind more than anyone else and that’s Al Iaquinta.

The Strong Island native (that’s right, I said it) proved once again why he should be considered a hot commodity in the UFC. The guy is young, talented, and sharp when it comes to his striking ability. With a two year lay off, people were thinking that Al Iaquinta may not have had that pop anymore, that the sport was leaving him in the rear view. He shut up those critics pretty emphatically with his knockout victory over veteran Diego Sanchez. The interesting part about the win for ‘Raging’ Al however was the fact that he didn’t truly have a chance to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

While I still believe that the UFC is the biggest, brightest, and most talent rich promotion in the world, it’s becoming obvious that fighters are getting more and more disgruntled. When you consider the fact that Iaquinta received $26,000 to show and another $26,000 to win, it’s easy to see why the talented lightweight would consider walking away from the sport. He could easily find himself up there with some of the best of the best in the lightweight division and the fact that he’s getting underpaid to knockout fighters that are getting paid more than him is a major issue that the promotion needs to solve.

Make no mistake, Al Iaquinta could easily become a star in the UFC. He could have New York on his back much in the same vain his stablemate Chris Weidman has been doing for years now. But if the UFC is content to let their high level talent seek other employment because they won’t show them the money, then you can bet your ass that Al Iaquinta will be taking his real estate career pretty damn seriously moving forward.

Do you think the UFC is making a mistake not paying Al Iaquinta the big bucks?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

The post Fallout: Al Iaquinta Battling For More Pay Should Be A Wake Up Call For The UFC appeared first on Cagepotato.