The New Jersey crowd was firmly behind Matt Frevola on Saturday at UFC 288 – and in the end, he gave them something to cheer about.
In the featured preliminary card bout at Prudential Center in Newark, Frevola (11-3-1 MMA, 5-3-1 UFC) finished Drew Dober (26-12 MMA, 12-8 UFC) with punches at 4:08 of Round 1.
A massive right hand that Frevola later dubbed “the death bomb” sent Dober crashing to the canvas after approximately three-and-a-half minutes of a competitive quasi-kickboxing match. Bloodied on the canvas, Dober grabbed hold of his opponent. Frevola, however, continued to hammer away. Dober struggled to escape the punches, so much so that referee Herb Dean waved off the fight.
Dober protested the stoppage immediately, though commentator Joe Rogan said he was visibly woozy off-camera. By the time the official decision was read, Dober respectfully clapped for Frevola.
STEAMROLLA DID THAT 👊 #UFC288 pic.twitter.com/isFkRr6lqe
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) May 7, 2023
During his in-cage interview with Rogan, Frevola once again called out Paddy Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC), a matchup he’s publicly chased for over a year.
“Paddy Pimblett, you absolutely suck,” Frevola said. “Stop being a b*tch and let’s fight. You’re on a four-fight win streak. I’m on a three-fight win streak. If you’re in the UFC, you can’t pick and choose your fights. You’ve got to fight who the fans want to see you fight.”
Frevola with some choice words for Paddy Pimblett 😳 #UFC288 pic.twitter.com/zKokEoZarL
— UFC (@ufc) May 7, 2023
Pimblett does not currently have a fight on the books as he recovers from surgery and subsequent complications.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 288 results include:
- Matt Frevola def. Drew Dober TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:08
- Kennedy Nzechukwu def. Devin Clark via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:28
- Khaos Williams def. Rolando Bedoya via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
- Virna Jandiroba def. Marina Rodriguez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Parker Porter def. Braxton Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:10
- Ikram Aliskerov def. Phil Hawes via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:10
- Claudio Ribeiro def. Joseph Holmes via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:21
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
