5 UFC stars who worked regular jobs
The top brass of the UFC’s esteemed fighting roster often make a fortune in the octagon. The lower tiers, however, often have to make up for lost funds from training. The result is having to balance the harsh, long hours of training required for fighting with the harsh, long hours grinding of a full time job.
Balancing the two can be grueling and many fighters appear to be beyond chuffed when they finally make enough from MMA to quit everything else. There are other times, however, where a fighter has taken great pride and joy in their work beyond the cage. Even when they reach great heights in the sport, they curiously have another professional gig still running on the resume.
Last but not least, there are those who take long lay-offs from the sport and discover new ventures and interests during their downtime.
With all of this in mind, here are five UFC fighters who have worked regular jobs over the years:
#5. Former UFC lightweight Al Iaquinta
UFC lightweight veteran Al Iaquinta has wound up making a living and a killing off his ventures outside of the octagon. Iaquinta has not fought since his UFC 243 decision loss to Dan Hooker in October 2019.
In that time, Iaquinta has greatly enhanced his side gig as a real estate agent. The ‘Raging’ TUF alumni first began the process of acquiring a realtor’s license in 2016. He was initially set to face Thiago Alves at UFC 205, the promotion’s first ever show in Madison Square Garden and New York as a whole. Due to an issue regarding the contract, Iaquinta pulled out of the fight and was replaced by Jim Miller.
As a fighter, his record currently stands at 14-6-1. The biggest fight of his career came against Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223. On account of Conor McGregor’s lengthy absence from the octagon at the time, the UFC lightweight strap was vacated and put up for grabs at UFC 223.
Due to not quite making weight (a mere 0.2lbs over the limit), Iaquinta was frustratingly ineligible to win the title. Ultimately, this set back was irrelevant as he was dominated for all five rounds by ‘The Eagle’. He now focuses on real estate full-time.