WEDNESDAY NEWS DIGEST 4/26: Al Iaquinta lets loose again on Twitter with barrage of insults, Cyborg complains about UFC (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)

By Mike Hiscoe, MMATorch contributore

Al Iaquinta (photo credit Christopher Hanewinckel © USA Today Sports)

Two familiar critics of UFC were back at it on Twitter on Tuesday.

The first, Al Iaquinta never really let up but his assault on the company continued and he extended his angst to Reebok, which he blames for a large chunk of lost income while taking a shot at another UFC lightweight while he was at it (original spelling left in-tact for posterity).

“Just got off the phone with @Reebok trying to act cool with me, ether youbwoth me or against me,” he tweeted. “You choose little bitch sagenorth cut over me I’m the fucking man.. I’ll take your guy out @Reebok take away my sponsor money.”

While he was on a roll, “Ragin’ Al” decided to take some shots at some other UFC lightweights. A sampling of his efforts:

•“Kevin Lee could never throw a right like me ducking dork. Dropped him with a. Jab hahah.”

•“Mitch Clarke is a little bitch.”

•“Bobby green can actually throw a punch but he’s a mental@sissy bag.”

It’s unclear if Iaquinta has made up his mind if he wants to fight in UFC again any time soon, but if he is, he’s certainly lined up some potential opponents.

Meanwhile, Cris Cyborg took to her Twitter account to criticize the company for how she’s been promoted compared to some other female stars, namely Holly Holm and Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. “Holly Holm has had six fights in UFC 3-3 record but look at how her social media exploded with the company push,” she said. “[Amanda Nunes] beat Ronda too.”

Cyborg said in a series of tweets that she feels she hasn’t been given the same opportunities as other female fighters. When one follower pointed out that Jedrzejczyk hasn’t been promoted well either, Cyborg was quick to correct him. “What? They made a TUF season for her. Put her on UFC 205 w McGregor, brought her to big Fox, placed her as Rousey co-main all in 7 fights,” she responded.

Cyborg is targeted to challenge for UFC’s newly created women’s featherweight championship later this summer, but apparently that’s not enough.

Iaquinta and Cyborg have gripes with UFC for different reasons, and they are handling it differently, but at the end of the day, the one thing they have in common is that they feel disrespected by the promotion they sacrifice their bodies for.

Hiscoe’s Analysis: Iaquinta’s rants are pure entertainment and he’ll probably keep it up until he gets whatever it is he wants out of UFC. UFC’s not going to cut him and allow him to go to a competitor while he’s creating a good buzz for himself.

Cyborg’s complaints are likely falling on deaf ears as she has been given opportunities by UFC but she hasn’t followed through with them. She was approached to fight Ronda Rousey in Rousey’s first fight in UFC, but reportedly turned it down either due to money issues or weight-cut issues. Either way, had that fight happened, her career trajectory would have been very different. Dana White and others have said some disrespectful things about her in the past, and she has the right to complain about that, but she shouldn’t complain about not being given career opportunities by UFC.

WEDNESDAY NOTEBOOK ITEMS…

-UFC Fight Night Nashville averaged 745,000 viewers on FS1 but did start half an hour late due to a Major League Baseball game that ran long. This is lower than average, but a bright spot is that the show peaked for the Cub Swanson vs. Artem Lobov main event at 831,000 viewers. Often UFC Fight Nights peak before the main event.

-Bellator 178 on Spike on Friday night did 674,000 viewers.

-Kenny Florian competed in a jiu-jitsu tournament over the weekend and was choked unconscious by opponent Vitor Ribeiro. Florian was defeated with a clock choke that quickly put him out. The referee lifted Florian’s legs to get blood back to his head and Florian was conscious again a few seconds later.

FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENT ROUND-UP…

-Ryan Couture vs. Haim Gozali and Neiman Gracie vs. David Marfone at Bellator 180 on June 24 from New York City.

-Steve Bosse vs. Jared Cannonier and Marc Diakiese vs. Drakkar Klose for the TUF 25 Finale on July 7 from Las Vegas.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S ARTICLE: TUESDAY NEWS DIGEST 4/25: Dana White says when UFC was sold, it “f–ed him up big time,” but he’s motivated now (w/Hiscoe’s Analysis)


(MMATorch’s Daily News Digest features the top story of the day with added analysis, plus smaller tidbits in the News Notes section. Mike Hiscoe, who writes the News Digest Sundays through Thursdays, has a background in film criticism and previously wrote for the DVD Town and Movie Metropolis websites. His passion for Mixed Martial Arts goes back to 2005, but it was in the promotion for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie that he really got hooked.”This is my house, I build it,” is still among the all-time great UFC promos. You can follow Mike on social media under the tag @mikehiscoe. He now provides his experienced writing and perspective on live MMA events for MMATorch.)

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