Evan Dunham Explains Why He Called Out Al Iaquinta

In an interview with MMA Junkie, Evan Dunham (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) explained why he called out Al Iaquinta (13-3-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC) for a future fight. Here are highlights:

On calling out other fighters: “I’ve always accepted what they gave me. And that’s part of the reason why I’m standing firm now. I’ve always said just, ‘Where do you want me? I’ll be there.’ But the way that the UFC is set up now, it’s really the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. If you’re out there saying what you want, and you want it, and you’re pointing it out, you’ve got a much better chance at getting it. I think if I didn’t ask for a fight above, I would look back and say, ‘Why the (expletive) didn’t I ask for a fight? Why did I just take what was given to me? Like that saying, ‘Close mouths don’t get fed?’ I need to speak up. Tell them what I want.”

On why he called out Iaquinta: “He’s got some hype on his name because he keeps bitching and moaning about how much he’s getting paid. And I agree with Al Iaquinta that we are underpaid. Absolutely. But if you want to get paid more, there’s only solution. Either you need to, A: Not fight, not get paid at all. Or, B: You need to finish your contract, because you know what you signed when you got into it. Finish your contract, and renegotiate. That’s how it works. I think we’re underpaid absolutely, but you’re at a point where it’s kind of (expletive) or get off the pot.”

On fighting Beneil Dariush: “I think that would be a great fight. Because I know he’s a good jiu-jitsu guy, he hits hard, I think that’d be a real good fight. I know my standup game has been improving every single fight. My last few fights I feel more comfortable. I’m putting high numbers up there, volume over power.”