Ahead of his UFC 169 prelim fight with UFC debutant Kevin Lee this Saturday, Al Iaquinta spoke with Callum Leslie about his preparation, the mood in the Serra-Longo camp and his predictions for the two huge title fights.

Iaquinta: “He hasn’t fought anyone as good as me.”

Q: Is the weather in New York affecting your preparation?

Al: “I mean it’s affecting it, but we just having to switch things up. I’m doing the same training just maybe a bit different times, and I’m just making it work. There’s no way around it really, snow comes down you gotta take a night off and you make up for it the next day.”

Q: Your last fight was in Manchester, what was the experience like fighting overseas? Did you have to do anything differently?

Al: “There wasn’t too much difference, I just had to be really cautious of my weight. They have a little more sodium in the water there, so I just had to take that into account when I was getting the last couple of pounds of water weight off. In general I liked the experience, it was awesome, especially because I got the win but also because just seeing a new place like Manchester that I might never have got to see in my lifetime. I got to go over there and, the week before the fight, walk around the city and take in the atmosphere and that made it enjoyable. I got to go in there and get a ‘W’ in the UFC, and you really can’t beat that.”

Q: You’re on a two fight win streak now after being out for a year, being on TUF and losing in the final to Michael Chiesa. Is fighting frequently something you aim for, now you’ve had two fights in just a few months?

Al: “I had surgery after that Ultimate Fighter, and it took a lot of time off. I think that was beneficial for me really, especially after that thirteen week season of the Ultimate Fighter which was long and grueling. I got to clear my head, reevaluate where I’m at and my skill set, work on my weaknesses, and now it’s kind of on the job training. I’m healthy and staying active, and improving as I go in each fight. I should be getting better and better, and that’s what I’m looking to prove.

Q: What’s the mood like in the Serra-Longo camp with the middleweight champion in there?

Al: “Yeah it’s really exciting, there’s a good energy in the gym right now. We’re all looking up to Chris and seeing how hard he works, and the time that he puts in and the results that comes out of it just shows how much hard work really pays off in this sport. Having a goal, shooting for that goal and really being confident in yourself is what I try to take away from it. There’s new guys coming into the gym every day which is a good energy. The gym’s always packed, and it’s a good time for the Serra-Longo fight for sure.”

Q: Your UFC 169 opponent Kevin Lee is making his octagon debut, and is undefeated. How do you prepare for someone making their first UFC appearance?

Al: “For me, I’m preparing for him the same way I prepared for all my other fights, just worry about myself and work on getting my game strong. When I’m in there I’ll be able to find a weakness of his, even though he hasn’t shown too many weaknesses in his fights. He hasn’t lost, but I think he hasn’t fought anyone as good as me. His opponents haven’t been anywhere near the caliber of my opponents that I’ve beaten. I think he’s going to be in for a rude awakening when he finally gets into the UFC.”

Q: How do you plan on winning this fight?

Al: “You know, the fight starts on the feet and we’ll go from there. We’ll see just how the fight goes really, I don’t go in there with too strict a game plan it’s just going in with my A game. I’m pretty well-rounded enough where I don’t really have to play to my strengths, I can attack his weaknesses and that’s usually how it goes.”

Q: Kevin Lee is on a run of three submission victories, while both of your losses have been by submission. Is that something you worry about, and are you working on defending that?

Al: “Of course. It’s definitely something I’m always working on, and for this fight especially. I know he’s got some guillotines but like I say the quality of guys he’s hitting those guillotines on, I’ve watched some of the tapes, and I don’t think I’m making the mistakes those guys are making to get caught in those positions.”

Q: If you do get the win on Saturday, what are your ambitions for 2014 and who would you like to fight?

Al: “Just work my way up the ladder. I’m looking to do big things this year, staying active and getting as many fights as I can. I’m really just worried about this next one and afterwards we’ll just keeping pushing them out.”

Q: Finally, what are your predictions for the title fights on Saturday?

Al: “Well, I gotta go with Jose Aldo in the featherwight title bout. Lamas is tough, but I just think Jose Aldo is just on another level. Obviously that should be an interesting fight, and then I’m going with Urijah Faber for that bantamweight title. He’s had a great year and he’s on a run right now. He has great mindset and he’s just the man. I don’t see him losing to anyone right now. The first fight wasn’t terribly exciting, it was a really lopsided victory for Barao but I think Urijah made some adjustments. I think he got hurt in the first round of that fight and that really affected him. Obviously Barao is the favourite and Urijah is going a tough battle ahead of him, but I think he’s going to pull through for sure.”