‘Hurt’ Al Iaquinta To Fans: I Showed A Lot Of Heart
“Raging” Al Iaquinta sent shock waves through the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia yesterday (April 4, 2015) at UFC Fight Night 63, not only for his comeback victory over Jorge Masvidal, but also for his intense, and explosive post-fight interview.
After the decision was read in favor of Iaquinta the crowd unleashed with a plethora of boos, clearly showcasing their feelings towards the decision. Having fought his hardest and with heart, “Raging” Al got on the mic and went on a relentless backlash of profanity firing back at the crowd.
Later speaking at the post-fight press conference (via Sherdog) Iaquinta explained his actions after the decision, noting that it hurt him to hear the crowd react in such a way. He also stated that he didn’t understand what they were booing at, considering the heart and grit he displayed. Possibly the fans were booing at the judges, but “Raging” Al doesn’t think they should have been booing him:
“I train hard every day and when I go in there, win or lose….I want the crowd to cheer. I feel like I showed a lot of heart; I pushed through a tough first round,” he said. “That fight would have been ‘Fight of the Night,’ but I think he took the second round off. Third round, same thing. I was chasing him. I was overextending throwing my punches because he was out of there. He coasted those last two rounds. “Maybe they were booing the judges,” he continued. “I don’t think there’s any reason to be booing me. I laid it all out there. I took my beating in the first round, I came back and I think I showed a lot of what I’m made of. It hurts to hear the people booing you.”
Iaquinta also said that a couple of specific fans in the crowd when he looked up set him off as well:
“I don’t know what they could be booing. Just the decision, maybe they didn’t agree with it, but it bothered me,” he said. “I looked in the crowd, and I see two kids giving me the finger. It set me off…I got so heated.”
Although his reaction may have been justified, as he grows more experienced, Iaquinta may have learn to ignore the crowd. Luckily for the Long Island native, he has a wealth of experience sitting in his corner in the forms of legendary striking coach Ray Longo and former welterweight champion Matt Serra. “Raging” Al said both of his coaches eventually calmed him down:
“Both Ray and Matt, they said you can’t listen to the crowd. They told me I won the fight and calmed me down. It took them a while to get through to me because I was so frustrated,” Iaquinta said. “They said you should be happy, and I am. I worked really hard for this fight, and I got what I earned.”
While Iaquinta wasn’t oblivious to the fact that he was bloodied up at the end of the fight and Masvidal looked good as new, he believes the judges got the decision right:
“It could have been; the blood definitely didn’t help,” Iaquinta said. “Every time I hit him he made a little face like it didn’t bother him and maybe they were looking at that. But every time I hit him he felt it, I know that for sure. I think the judges got it right. I think the second and third round I took, and he just didn’t want it that much.”
The Serra-Longo product also spoke on the fight and the situation backstage with FOX Sports. Check out that interview here:
Did Iaquinta gain more exposure for his hard fought win, or for his surprising outburst after the fight? Where does “Raging” Al go from here?
