On Sunday, Feb. 23, UFC fighters, Mike Perry and Al Iaquinta competed in a grappling bout for Submission Underground 11, where Perry defeated Iaquinta in overtime via fastest submission escape.
After the match, Iaquinta called for Perry at 155 pounds in the UFC for their next fight.
Following the callout, Chael Sonnen stated that he now has a phone call to make to UFC president, Dana White, who personally asked Sonnen to call him when the grappling match between Perry and Iaquinta was over.
As reported earlier in the week, both fighters appeared on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show to promote their upcoming bout, where Iaquinta took to bashing Perry for taking the match. Stating that Perry had no idea what he got himself into.
After Sunday’s OT loss, Iaquinta was forced to eat his words.
A closer look at the potential match up:
Perry (13-6 MMA, 6-6 UFC) competes in the UFC’s welterweight division while Iaquinta (14-6-1 MMA, 9-5 UFC) competes in the lightweight division.
With Perry currently riding a two-fight losing streak, he may be looking for a change in pace by dropping down a weight class to lightweight, where he would likely match up better with the opponents.
Iaquinta is also riding a two-fight losing streak. With his recent losses coming against tall, lengthy lightweights, Perry would be a refreshing match up for Iaquinta as well.
Both fighters are essentially identical in height and reach. Perry is 5’10 with a 71″ reach, Iaquinta is 5’10 with a 70″ reach.
Stay tuned for an update this week from Sonnen or the UFC on how the phone call went with White.
Donations
Donations allow us to create more content and keep the site up and running. Thank you in advance for your generosity.
$1.00
