Iaquinta: I’m dreaming of fighting Gilbert Melendez
Al Iaquinta: “So I’ve definitely been visualizing this moment and I’ve been visualizing it every way possible, and however it goes down I’m coming out with my hand raised.”
Its a phone call every UFC fighter dreads; the one where the brass calls and tells you that your opponent is hurt. Al Iaquinta got that call three weeks out for his July 15th, but the UFC came through with a replacement and opponent and the New York native couldn’t be happier:
“I was going crazy. First, you know, going crazy in a bad way once I heard Bobby Green was out, and you don’t know who you’re going to get. He was an opponent ranked above me, so you know it has really good benefits to beat a guy like that.”
The Serra/Longo pupil believes that though Melendez has his own reasons to feel motivated, his own eagerness for this particular matchup probably exceeds that of “El Nino.””Yeah definitely I’m young and hungry, I’m coming for it,” he explained.
“I think he’s been in here a while and maybe his back’s against the wall coming off a couple of losses. But you know, I’m hungry. This is what I’ve been dreaming about. I don’t think he’s been dreaming about a fight with No. 13 ranked Al Iaquinta, but I’ve been dreaming about a matchup with a top-five guy to get me up there. So I’ve definitely been visualizing this moment and I’ve been visualizing it every way possible, and however it goes down I’m coming out with my hand raised.”