Matt Frevola sees no better option than himself to welcome Paddy Pimblett back to the octagon.
Frevola (11-3-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) has called out Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) multiple times, but after knocking out his past three opponents in a row in the first round – most recently Drew Dober at UFC 288 – “The Steamrolla” has momentum on his side.
Like Frevola, numerous fighters want a piece of Pimblett, but Frevola explained why he’s the fight to make.
“Nobody cares about Paddy fighting anybody else but me,” Frevola told MMA Junkie Radio. “Nobody cares about him fighting Jared Gordon again. Nobody cares about him fighting some middle-of-the-rank guy. The people want to see him fight me, and that’s the fight to make.”
Frevola could be on to something after he got a response from Pimblett. “The Baddy” recently underwent ankle surgery and may be out for all of 2023 but said he’s willing to fight Frevola once he’s healthy.
“He already accepted it,” Frevola said. “He said I’m his easiest route to the top 15. That’s what they all think, so I’m glad that he thinks that. Everyone’s saying that I’m just gonna knock him out in the first round. I hope that he’s the fighter that I think he is, and he will want to prove everyone wrong and take this fight and earn some respect.
“It’s a win-win for the UFC. He wins, he gets the respect of the people, and he’s still the star. I win, I’m the guy. I think it’s a win-win, it’s a no-brainer that that’s the next fight, and it just comes down to when he’s ready. He’s got his ankle surgery. I think you give him a couple of weeks to start training again, and then he’ll know when he’s ready. Hopefully it’s MSG in November.”
Pimblett is coming off a controversial win over Jared Gordon last December. Prior to that, Pimblett scored three consecutive Performance of the Night finishes over Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas, and Jordan Leavitt.
