UFC lightweight Matt Frevola has his sights set on Paddy Pimblett if he can get through Drew Dober at UFC 288.
Frevola has been vocal on Twitter about his desire to fight Pimblett since UFC London in March last year. He believes a win on Saturday night will set up a fight between the pair later this year.
In an exclusive interview with James Lynch for Combat Sports UK, he spoke about what a win over Dober would do for him.
He said: “I plan on taking his [Dober’s] spot at #14, being a top-ranked lightweight in the world and then beating up Paddy Pimblett at the end of the year.”
Out of action since his controversial win over Jared Gordon, the former Cage Warriors star has recently undergone ankle surgery and looks set to return either at the end of 2023 or in early 2024.
Frevola continued: “It’s only a matter of time before me and him fight.
“The fight really excites me, the atmosphere he brings and the way he fights. He goes for it, he throws on the feet and then his jiu jitsu is top notch. That’s definitely the fight I want.”
Frevola On the Matchup With Drew Dober
Their fight takes place this weekend at UFC 288 in New Jersey. The card is headlined by Frevola’s good friend and teammate, Aljamain Sterling.
‘The Steamrolla’ credited his opponent for taking the fight against him despite being ranked.
He said: “I was pumped, man. I wanted a big fight after the two-fight win streak I’m on and we got it.
“I give Drew a lot of credit for accepting this fight, a lot of these high-ranked guys don’t wanna fight down [the rankings] so I was pumped when I got the fight.”
The New Yorker is coming off of two straight knockouts but is prepared for all facets of mixed martial arts when he faces the ten-year UFC veteran.
He said: “I’m prepared for it all. I love mixed martial arts, I love mixing it up.
“But, the fight always starts on the feet and my last two fights I won by knockout. But, that’s just because it didn’t get to the ground.
“We’ll see where this fight takes him, I’m prepared for every aspect of mixed martial arts and I’m ready to go balls to the wall for 15 minutes.”
He went on to predict a finish over Dober to close out the prelims of UFC 288.
He said: “It’s not going to the scorecards and no matter what I’m gonna be pushing for the finish relentlessly. I’m gonna finish him by any means necessary.”
Matt Frevola Full Exclusive Interview
You can watch the full interview with Matt Frevola below:
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Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
