This past weekend on the featured prelim of UFC 288, we saw an absolute banger in the lightweight division. Contenders Drew Dober (26-12) and Matt Frevola (11-3-1) were battling it out for a spot in the lightweight rankings.
Entering the bout, Dober had the 14th spot and he was looking to defend that. Frevola had entered the bout winning back-to-back fights by first round knockout including a win over previously unbeaten Ottman Azaitar.
Frevola started fast on Saturday night. His speed looked very impressive in the opening minutes and he was getting to Dober. However, Dober wasn’t going to go away easily. Dober started chasing Frevola and he was landing some really good shots of his own.
Then, after Dober just missed with a big left, Frevola blasted him with a perfect counter right hook. Dober went down and Frevola followed up with a couple of shots and the referee stopped it. Three straight first round finishes for Frevola after UFC 288.
What’s next after UFC 288?
With the win, Frevola debuted this week at 14th in the UFC rankings taking the spot that was previously held by Dober. After the fight was over, “The Steamrolla” had one name on his mind. That name was Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett (20-3).
Pimblett of course has a ton of hype behind him and is currently unbeaten in the UFC. Granted, anyone with half a brain knows he truly lost his last fight to Jared Gordon, but was gifted a decision win. Nevertheless, Pimblett has a huge following and still brings a lot of eyes to his fights.
Pimblett is currently recovering from an injury and there’s no timetable for his return. It’s possible he doesn’t fight for the rest of the year, but if he was to return, Frevola wants that fight. He said he would love to fight him in November at Madison Square Garden.
Pimblett responded to an Instagram comment and said he would absolutely take the fight with Frevola. He said it would be the easiest way to jump into the top fifteen.