Iaquinta ‘visualizing’ fight with Melendez, plans to put on a ‘dominant performance’

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Several weeks ago, Gilbert Melendez lost a split decision to Eddie Alvarez after dominating the opening round and sealing one of the former champion’s eyes entirely shut. While many assumed the former Strikeforce champion would take some time away from the Octagon following a two-fight losing skid, he was announced days later as the late replacement for Bobby Green against Al Iaquinta.

Ranked below the Top 10 in the lightweight division, Iaquinta was relieved about the change in opponent.

“Oh man I was ecstatic. 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.

“You always see guys on TV and you look at them, you size ’em up, and I’m like, I wonder how I’d do against these guys? And now I’m gonna get to find out. It was kind of like the same thing when I fought, really my last three fights. It’s the same feeling. It’s awesome to get in there with guys that you’ve always wondered, and now going in there, I know I’m ready. I’ve worked hard enough for it, so I’m ready for this opportunity for sure.”

Come fight time, Iaqunita has no plans to stand across from Melendez and marvel the former champion. Instead, he plans to surprise many and produce his best showing inside the Octagon to date.

“Yeah definitely I’m young and hungry, I’m coming for it. 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 number 13 ranked Al Iaquinta, but I’ve been dreaming about a match up 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.”

In fact, he expects a “dominant” performance against Melendez.

“I think I’m gonna open a lot of people’s eyes man. This is a great fight for me to really put on a great dominant performance.”

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About the author

Karim Zidan

Karim Zidan is a investigative reporter and feature writer focusing on the intersection of sports and politics. He has written for BloodyElbow since 2014 and has served as an associate editor since 2016. He also writes for The New York Times and The Guardian. Karim has been invited to speak about his work at numerous universities, including Princeton, and was a panelist at the South by Southwest (SXSW) film festival and the Oslo Freedom Forum. He also participated in the United Nations counter-terrorism conference in 2021. His reporting on Ramzan Kadyrov’s involvement in MMA, much of which was done for Bloody Elbow, has led to numerous award nominations, and was the basis of an award-winning HBO Real Sports documentary.