Iaquinta: I am going to surprise people vs. Couture

This is number seventy-eight in Jack’s series of interviews with MMA fighters and personalities, and for this particular interview, we’re pleased to feature, TUF 15 finalist and UFC lightweight, Al Iaquinta. It’s been over a year since Iaquinta made his UFC debut, but the Team Serra-Longo fighter is healthy and ready to face another young prospect at the end of the month. Iaquinta is scheduled to fight Ryan Couture, at UFC 164, on August 31st. Please enjoy the conversation below.

Jack Brown: What was your first experience with martial arts/combat sports, and how did it become more than just a hobby for you?

Al Iaquinta: My parents, when they were growing up, had a few friends that wrestled, and they always told me when I was a young kid that, “No one messed with the wrestlers.” I was bullied a little bit in elementary school, nothing crazy, but I think it was enough that when I got to middle school, and the time came to sign up for a winter sport, I remembered what my parents had told me. I signed up and instantly loved it. I loved that with wrestling you could be as good as you wanted. Even if my team wasn’t the best, I could work hard and win my individual matches.

I started watching MMA in high school, and after a season wrestling at Nassau Community College, I went down to an MMA gym. I thought I was going to rip through everyone because I had just finished a college wrestling season. I was in great shape and I believed that I would just take them down and beat them up. I was humbled very quickly after getting repeatedly arm-barred and leg-kicked. I told myself that if I was going to learn MMA, I would never let what happened to me that day happen again.

One early moment that really stood out was when I went with a few of my buddies to UFC 53 in Atlantic City. I got goosebumps from the energy in the arena that night. The way the crowd erupted when there was a knockout or submission was like nothing I had ever seen before. I remember telling myself that night that I was going to fight in the UFC one day.

JB: You are well-known for being part of the Serra-Longo Fight Team. How did you first connect with the team and what have they meant to your development as a fighter?

AI: I was about 19 or 20 years old when I was first introduced to Ray Longo through Costa Philippou. Costa and I had been friends and had trained together for a while, but at the time I was training with a New York Miletich affiliate gym and Costa had made the move to Team Serra-Longo. George Sotiropoulos was training with Serra-Longo then as well. I was training for an upcoming amateur title fight, and Costa thought it would be good for me to get some sparring in with a fighter of George’s caliber. When I went down there, I was introduced to Ray, and after a grueling and intense sparring session, I believe that I impressed him. He told me that I was always welcome to come for sparring at his gym. I saw what he had going on in his gym and the amount of amateur and pro fighters that he had. I had been looking to go pro, and when things weren’t going well at my gym, I made the switch over to Team Serra-Longo. It has been the best decision I have ever made. Since then, Ray has taken so much time out of his life to help me become successful in this sport that it would take pages for me to try to explain. For example, this past Easter Sunday, he took time to come down and put me through a tough training session. On Sunday evenings, when he could be relaxing, doing whatever he wants, he comes down to the gym and helps me to prepare. These are the kinds of things he does to go out of his way to help me and make sure I’m prepared to fight. 

Shortly after making the move over to Ray Longo’s gym, Ray introduced me to Matt and Nick Serra. I began training at their academies as well. It was a whole new level of Jiu-jitsu that I had not previously been exposed to. They are incredible teachers as well as fighters, and the Serra Academy has some of the best grapplers around. I was, and still am, honored to be welcomed by such a great team. Ray and Matt are veterans in the business. They know what it takes. I know that when they tell me I am ready, I am.

JB: What do you recall about your first professional MMA fight, a submission win in Ring of Combat back in 2009, and how prepared do you feel you were at the time?

AI: I remember lying in bed, just thinking, the night before the fight. Fighting pro, in my mind, was a step up from amateur and a whole new experience for me. I didn’t know what to expect. Despite all that, I also remember being very relaxed and at ease. I knew that for the three months leading up to the fight I couldn’t have trained any harder. I was in the best shape of my life, and I knew that no matter what happened, I really put 100% into training for that fight.

I won the fight by anaconda choke quickly in the first round. I remember the ref breaking the hold when he tapped and that I was tremendously excited. But as excited as I was, I was also a little mad that I had trained so long and hard for this fight and it was over so quickly. I wanted to keep fighting and be in the spotlight more and show more of my skills. I was addicted, and couldn’t wait until the next fight.

JB: You entered season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, 5-1-1, with all your fights coming in the excellent regional promotion, Ring of Combat. How do you think that early part of your career tested you for the level of competition that you faced on TUF?

AI: I was supposed to be on season 12 of TUF, but I broke my hand training a few days before they started filming, so I couldn’t compete. After that, I had three more fights in Ring of Combat before getting onto season 15. One of those fights was an absolute war and another was my first loss as a professional. After the loss, I had to refocus and concentrate on some of the weaker parts of my game, and I did. I believe it was those fights that really gave me the confidence I needed to have success on TUF. When my fight with Myles Jury went to a third round, it was territory that I was familiar with from that war I had in Ring of Combat. I had faced adversity and overcame it before. Myles had not been there before, and I believe that gave me a big edge in winning that third round.

JB: Your season on TUF remains unique for several reasons. It was, and probably always will be, the only live season. Your cast also seemed to develop a particularly close bond. What was the experience of filming the show, and then watching it afterward, like for you?

AI: I had a great experience filming TUF Live! I really enjoyed being a part of the only live show. Being the only show that filmed for 13 weeks instead of 6 was good for me primarily because I was on such a great team. Team Faber really built a great bond. We all keep in touch with each other to this day. We had an awesome coaching staff as well. Not only did Urijah Faber coach us, but he and Team Alpha Male were on the mat training with us every day, sparring, wrestling, and grappling. I really jumped to a whole other level in those 13 weeks. After the show, I remained in touch with them, and went out to Sacramento to train with them. And I will continue to go out and train with them. I really made a lot of great connections because of TUF Live.

JB: You were very successful on the show and made it to the finals, where you made your official UFC debut against Michael Chiesa last June. Though it was a loss, what were you able to take away from that night?

AI: My loss to Mike was a tough one to swallow. After a lifetime of training and preparation, and the culmination of a grueling 13 weeks, I made one mistake and got beat. I was really pissed and angry immediately after that fight, but I put that aside and partied with the rest of my friends, family, and teammates that night. I told myself that I was going to celebrate all the wins that I had while in the house that I hadn’t had time to celebrate and that the next day I would worry about the fight I had just lost. I’m very glad that I was able to do that because it was a great night and we all had an awesome time being able to finally let loose outside of that house.

JB: You are scheduled to fight Ryan Couture, at UFC 164, on August 31st. What do you think of the matchup and getting back in the octagon after a year away?

AI: I really can’t wait to get back in the cage after the time away. Ryan Couture is a tough opponent with a well-rounded skillset. I am having fun training for this fight, and I can’t wait to show everyone what I have been working on this past year. I really think I am going to surprise a lot of people.

JB: Lightweight is probably the deepest division in the sport. What other fighters in the division do you particularly respect or admire, and who are some of the ones that you’d love the challenge of fighting eventually?

AI: I would love the opportunity to fight guys in the top ten and eventually fight for the championship. I will get there, and I am going to enjoy the journey to get there. I don’t really like calling anyone out or anything, but there are a bunch of guys that I watched growing up that are still fighting in the lightweight division. Those fights interest me the most. Being able to get in there and mix it up with some of the guys I watched growing up would be great.

JB: What else do you enjoy outside of training and fighting, and who are the individuals who have supported you most in life?

AI: I’m pretty much always in the gym. When I’m not training myself, I am training my personal training clients. I really enjoy training kids. For the most part, they always work hard and they always have a smile on their faces while training. I train everyone, from kids to adults that are just looking to lose some weight and learn a few punches and kicks. Aside from that, I love going to the beach in the summer. My father has been an ocean lifeguard his whole life, so I grew up on the beach, swimming and Boogie boarding during the summer. I just bought myself a surfboard this year, and I am getting pretty good at it.

JB: Last question, Al, and thanks for taking the time to do this. What does it mean to you to be a fighter and how much do you enjoy it?

AI: It means everything to me to be a fighter. It is a lifestyle that I love. I have become friends with some really great people being a part of this sport. I have also met some really crazy and interesting people that I would have never met if it weren’t for MMA. I have been able to travel around the world and see places I never would have because of MMA. I really have no idea what I would be doing if I wasn’t a fighter. 

Thank you so much for reading and please follow Al Iaquinta and Jack Brown on Twitter.

Visit JackJohnBrownMMA on Facebook for links to all of Jack’s past interviews. Previous interviews include: Dan Hardy, Rose Namajunas, Joe Lauzon, War Machine, Tom Lawlor, Bas Rutten, Chris Leben, Phil Baroni, Julie Kedzie, Michael Bisping, Duane Ludwig, Sara McMann, Matt Lindland, Duke Roufus, Pat Miletich, Jens Pulver, Dan Severn, Nate Quarry, Ken Shamrock, Matt Serra, Jeremy Horn, Ray Longo, and dozens more.

Thank you to @KirikJenness for @theUG.