A retired mixed martial arts fighter is getting into the slightly less rough-and-tumble field of Long Island real estate.
Al Iaquinta, 36, who rose to as high as the fourth-ranked lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, opened a real estate brokerage in Wantagh, Newsday reported.
Iaquinta, whose career record was 14-7-1 over a 13-year-career, opened his own shop after working the past seven years as an agent for HomeSmart Premier Living Realty in Williston Park, the outlet reported.
He knows it won’t be easy striking out on his own, but he’s confident in his abilities — he got into real estate after buying a home in 2014 and obtained his real estate license before retiring from MMA in 2021.
“It’s an uphill battle breaking in, but there’s nobody that’s going to outwork me,” Iaquinta told the outlet. “If I can get into an Octagon and fight somebody, Douglas Elliman ain’t got nothing on me. Douglas Elliman, Keller Williams — line them up. Bring it on.”
While he may not have the resources the other big brokerages have, Iaquinta does have name recognition and a healthy social media following that includes over 100,000 followers on Twitter and Instagram.
He’ll need all the advantages he can get in a volatile residential market.
“In fighting, I was one of the top guys in the world but to start something new in sales intrigued me,” he told Newsday. “I was definitely in over my head, but that’s kind of how I like to do things. Here, I’m opening the office, and a lot of people might think it’s crazy, but that’s what it’s all about … Setting goals and attacking them.”
Iaquinta isn’t the only former professional athlete to turn to real estate as a second career.
In January, two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer launched his real estate career with his longtime broker and friend Katrina Campins of the Campins Company, according to an announcement. Boozer earned his real estate license last year. His role will focus on real estate services geared toward professional athletes, celebrities, and other wealthy buyers, the release says.
Boozer played in the NBA from 2002 to 2015 for four teams: the Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Lakers. He represented the U.S. at both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, earning medals both times. He completed his degree at Duke University in 2020 after he left college early to start his basketball career.
Meanwhile, basketball Hall of Famer Grant Hill has developed $200 million in commercial real estate with his company Hill Ventures, and now has a seat on Empire State Realty Trust’s board of directors. Retired Formula One driver Eddie Irvine builds luxury spec homes in South Florida, and former Los Angeles Laker Devean George is now a residential developer in North Minneapolis, where he grew up.
— Ted Glanzer