Al Iaquinta won a close and somewhat contested split decision against Jorge Masvidal at UFC: Fairfax. The moment the judges announced the decision, a lot of fans in the arena disagreed and started booing. After hearing this, Iaquinta snapped and started cursing back at the fans. (Watch the video here)
“I got extremely frustrated when the crowd was booing at me just because I worked so hard for the crowd,” he said backstage after the event. “I want them to appreciate what I do in the cage. When they booed, I don’t know if they were booing the judges, and when I looked to the crowd, somebody was giving me the middle finger, saying ‘F you!'”
“It just ripped my heart out,” he explains. “I train everyday so hard. It just hurt when I heard everyone booing. I do this for the cheers. That’s the reason why I do this.”
Iaquinta really didn’t deserve the backlash from fans, since he had no control over the judges. He did what he could and showcased enough heart that it became an unexpectedly close fight after Masvidal’s dominant start.
“That’s what I train for in the gym. A tough ass first round, and coming out and showing my toughness. If that fight goes another round, he’s done. I won the end of that fight. If that was a street fight, it would just be a matter of time.”
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