Issue 115
June 2014
Lightweight Al Iaquinta has his sights firmly set on becoming super-coach Ray Longo's third world champion ahead of his UFC 173 clash with Mitch Clarke – and Chris Weidman's going to help him.
Need2 know
Alias: Raging
Age: 27
Pro debut: 2009
Pro record: 8-2-1
Team: Power MMA
Division: Lightweight
Height: Five-foot-nine
Style: Wrestler
Every time Al Iaquinta walks into the gym, he is surrounded by success stories. Six years ago, when the Wantagh, Long Island, fighter first walked into Ray Longo's MMA gym, memorabilia celebrating Matt Serra's welterweight championship victory over Georges St Pierre adorned the walls.
Fast forward to 2014 and the newly renovated and rebranded Power MMA has yet another champion in its ranks, current UFC middleweight title-holder Chris Weidman. Success breeds success and with each grueling session at Longo's, Iaquinta finds motivation from the past and present.
His goal: To be the future of the gym and become Longo's third UFC champion. Failure is not an option for the 27-year-old and he knows Longo can help catapult him to the top of the lightweight division.
“I don't need to win the title for Ray to be successful,” says Iaquinta. “He's already had two world champions and established himself as a coach. He just wants me to succeed. Ray knows I have a passion for this. He's not doing it for himself. He truly believes in me and that's a great quality for a trainer.”
A chance phone call led Iaquinta to Longo's gym when he was an amateur fighter, looking to turn professional. Walking in, any nerves the young Iaquinta harbored were soon put at ease by the ever-welcoming Longo. One sparring session later and the direction of Iaquinta's career was changed forever.
“I got a call from a friend who asked me if I wanted to go for a session at Ray's,” Iaquinta recalls to FO.
“I remember walking in and seeing all the posters of Matt. I was aware of Ray's reputation, but that day I got to see how he worked. I knew if I wanted to take things to the next level, this was where I needed to be. He really knew how to maximize my talents.”
Longo's eye for detail is legendary and has helped dethrone the likes of pound-for-pound greats St Pierre and Anderson Silva. When Longo assessed Iaquinta's game, there was no doubt in the young fighter's mind that he had to base himself permanently at Longo's in order to grow as a fighter. Shortly after, Iaquinta – with Longo's help – turned professional and started climbing up the ranks.
“Ray's was a real jump in level for me,” he adds. “It wasn't just Ray, as Matt's ability to break jiu-jitsu down is second to none. He can focus on that one little thing that makes the whole move. He's one of the best teachers I've ever had. To have him and Ray in my corner for fights is brilliant.”
So what has it been like for Iaquinta and co since Weidman shocked the world and defeated Silva to lift the middleweight title last July?
“We're a lot hungrier now that we've seen what comes along with being champion,” explains Iaquinta. “The gym has received a total makeover since Chris' win and we are all seeing the benefits of him becoming champion.”
Working out alongside Weidman and putting in the same effort on drills has instilled an added sense of belief in Iaquinta.
“Chris beat Anderson Silva, so if I'm doing the same things as him and putting in the same effort, I am on the right road,” he says. “Ray and Matt have been around the game for so long, when they tell me I'm ready, I believe them. Doing similar training to Chris builds my confidence. If that's not a good path to follow, I don't know what is.”
In 2012, Iaquinta fought on the 15th season of The Ultimate Fighter as part of Team Faber. He made it to the final, but a costly error in the first round saw him lose to Michael Chiesa. The loss was a tough one to swallow, but since then he's rebounded in style, winning his last three fights, most recently against Kevin Lee at UFC 169 by unanimous decision.
“I believe I was the best person in that season, but I got caught, learned from it, and I never want that to happen again,” he says of his TUF Finale experience.
The Chiesa loss came via rear-naked choke. In his fight with Lee, Iaquinta found himself in a similar position, but the Longo-Serra tuition paid off as the New Yorker managed to free himself and carry on to win the fight, something he puts down to expert coaching and repetition.
“Ray reminds you about what you did in practice and brings all the hours of training out of me in a fight. In between rounds, him and Matt are brilliant motivators. Ray keeps you calm but is able to get you to use the right level of energy to get fired up for the next round.”
Weidman's victories against Silva helped cement Longo's status as an elite-level MMA coach, but Iaquinta, who next fights Mitch Clarke at UFC 173 on May 24th, is now keen to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Serra, and his current training partner, Weidman, by climbing to the top of the 155lb division.
“Will I be Ray's next champion? Definitely,” he says with confidence. “He believes in me and said he is going to do his best to help me achieve it. I can't ask for any more from him.”
