UFC lightweight Matt Frevola turned plenty of heads with his ferocious first-round knockout victory over Ottman Azaitar at UFC 281. It marked Frevola’s second consecutive first-round finish, and at the post-fight press conference, he called out another fighter known for their explosive, early stoppage victories. The UK’s rising star, Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett, is set to face Jared Gordon next, but with a rumored return to the UK next year, Frevola wants to fight Pimblett on foreign soil.
“When I knock out Paddy in London, that’ll be the best moment. Honestly, Paddy’s got a tough fight. Jared Gordon is very good, but win lose or draw, even if Paddy goes out there and gets smoked by Jared, I want to fight Paddy in London.”
Frevola Calls out Paddy The Baddy for UK Fight
Frevola joined the chorus of fight fans and insiders who compared Pimblett’s meteoric rise through the UFC to that of another superstar from the other side of the Atlantic: Conor McGregor.
“I love that atmosphere that he brings to the fight game. It’s electric. He’s the way Conor McGregor was coming up, he brings such an atmosphere to the fight, it’s amazing and he’s a great fighter. I think me and him will go out there and bang and put on a great fight for the fans.
Maybe I rock him and knock him out and finish him, maybe we wrestle and we do a little grappling. I love to grapple as well. He’s a well-rounded mixed martial artist as well, so am I, so I think it’ll be a fun fight everywhere.”
Paddy Pimblett is currently 3-0 in the UFC, with two submissions and a knockout to his name. Pimblett has marked himself as a future champion in the UFC lightweight division, but has made clear that he wants time to improve his game and work through opposition first.
Pimblett is set to face Jared Gordon at UFC 282 next month, representing a serious step up in competition. Gordon has been in the UFC since 2017, largely grinding out decision wins. Should Pimblett be able to make his prodigious jiu-jitsu or his newfound striking ability work against Jared Gordon, he may well end up facing another elevation in quality of opponent against Matt Frevola.
Frevola’s grappling pedigree is impressive in and of itself, with Frevola entering mixed martial arts through high school wrestling and his jiu-jitsu ability. Is it enough to dispatch Paddy the Baddy? We’ll have to wait and see.
Is Frevola vs Pimblett a good matchup? Let us know in the comments.
