Al Iaquinta stays busy trying to climb ranks at UFC Fight Night 63

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, April 2, 2015 | 2 a.m.

Spending more than three months confined to a reality-show house and gym in Las Vegas went down as one of the more difficult experiences of Al Iaquinta’s UFC career.

The only thing that easily surpassed the rigors of “The Ultimate Fighter: Live” in 2012 was the aftermath, which saw Iaquinta require knee surgery that kept him out of action for more than a year. The involuntary hiatus followed a submission loss to Michael Chiesa in the finals and sparked introspection that led to a personal promise.

“I told myself that when I was healthy, I was going to take every fight I can,” Iaquinta said. “I couldn’t see myself being one of these guys who gets out of shape before training camp and has to take a lot time in between fights.”

Iaquinta continues to live up to the guarantee Saturday afternoon at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., with his fifth fight in less than a year. The co-main event of UFC Fight Night 63, a rare matinee card that begins at 10 a.m. local time, pits Iaquinta (11-3-1 MMA, 6-2 UFC) against Jorge Masvidal (22-8 MMA, 5-1 UFC) in a lightweight bout.

The New York native looks to capitalize on momentum established from a three-fight streak of knockout victories.

“It’s a big thing in this sport, staying in the public eye and keeping active,” Iaquinta said. “I was out for a long time after ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ and that was tough for me.”

He’s asserted himself ever since, peaking to this point with his first pay-per-view main card appearance at UFC 183 two months ago. Iaquinta blitzed through veteran Joe Lauzon with a second-round knockout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and gained even more fans with his demeanor afterward.

He declared he was learning Spanish and heading to Mexico for a celebration at the post-fight press conference. But the trip never got past the planning stages.

“By the time I landed back in New York, I had another fight lined up already,” Iaquinta said. “I got right back in the gym.”

That was much to Masvidal’s dismay. Originally slated to meet former UFC champion Benson Henderson in Fairfax, Masvidal viewed Iaquinta as a decided step down.

The former Strikeforce top contender has spent the last few weeks discounting Iaquinta’s achievements.

“He’s a boy and I’m a full-grown man,” Masvidal told MMAjunkie.com. “Come April 4, I’m going to show the world just what the (expletive) I mean.”

Masvidal has built a three-fight win streak of his own, beating James Krause, Daron Cruickshank and Pat Healy within the last year.

“In his mind, he thinks he’s better than he is,” Iaquinta said. “I’ve been fighting better competition than him as of late, and I’ve been finishing them. He’s been lulling to decisions against guys.”

In any weight class other than lightweight, mixed martial arts’ deepest division, Iaquinta would be nearing a title shot. To get into the conversation at 155 pounds, he’ll likely need to supplement a win over Masvidal with a couple more victories.

That doesn’t bother Iaquinta, who’s not planning on taking any time off until he gets there. He’s come up another route to get to Mexico.

“The UFC is going to Mexico in June so, we’ll see,” Iaquinta said. “Depending on how this goes, I might get on that card. If not, maybe I can make a trip down there as a guest fighter or something.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.