Athletes
Matt Frevola's New York State Of Mind
A Star Could Be Born Saturday At UFC 295, And It Just Might Be Lightweight Matt Frevola
“I got New York blood pumping through my veins!”
Matt Frevola is back fighting at Madison Square Garden this weekend, something that feels as quintessentially NYC as catching the subway or eating a slice of pizza.
Order UFC 295: Procházka vs Pereira
“I'm northeast Long Island, born and bred,” he beams. “I got to my teammates fighting on the card in Nazim Sadykhov, and Dennis Buzukja. We had a great camp, the energy was amazing, and we're all ready to go. This is our city. We're all New York guys, and we're ready. Ready to protect our homeland. These are my people up here. And to be able to represent them and fight for them and fight in front of them is a dream come true.”
Highlight: Matt Frevola Steamrolls Genaro Valdez In First-Round TKO | UFC 270
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Highlight: Matt Frevola Steamrolls Genaro Valdez In First-Round TKO | UFC 270
/
It has been a pretty special run in friendly territory lately. This will mark his second appearance at MSG in three fights, with a stop in Newark in between. But it’s not just the where he’s been fighting, but the how.
Frevola has been a force to be reckoned with since his first professional bout in 2014, but there has been something cooking in his three most recent outings that have been undeniable; almost like a newer, better version of Frevola’s character has been unlocked inside a video game. It began with the first and only losing streak of Frevola’s career: back-to-back losses to Arman Tsarukyan and Terrance McKinney, the latter by way of a freakish seven-second KO. It was after that moment that the tide turned, and Frevola 2.0 emerged.
Preview The Entire UFC 295 Fight Card
Three first-round knockouts followed on major pay-per-view cards. There was Genaro Valdez at UFC 270, Ottman Azaitar at UFC 281 and, most recently, Drew Dober at UFC 288. That Dober KO was a true stunner that sent “The SteamRolla” home with Performance of the Night honors.
“It was amazing. I was fighting a legend in Drew Dober and a lot of people counted me out like they always do. And I'm always proving them wrong, making people believers. To be able to beat a guy like Dover and get ranked is just a testament to my hard work and my journey.”
So what has been the secret sauce? What has made this Frevola the most unstoppable? The reasons are many, but there’s one he can point to definitively.
“It has to be my boxing. My hands, these bricks that I got developed by the godfather of MMA, Ray Longo. He wanted me to really dial in on my boxing, and that's what I did. I put my trust in him. I told him, ‘Ray, make me the next Long Island champion. You say, I do.’ And I'm blessed to have him.”
Now firmly in the top 15 in arguably the toughest division in all of MMA, Frevola isn’t taking his foot off the gas. Not that he can afford to. The next challenge in front of him is Benoît Saint Denis. A former special forces marine in France, has been putting together a similarly impressive highlights package lately. Like Saint Denis, Frevola also boasts a military background, and has a unique understanding of the type of man he’ll be facing.
“It's going to be a crazy fight. He's very well rounded. He's got two submissions and two knockouts in his last four fights. And that's what excites me. I want the fights that nobody wants. He's almost the boogeyman of the division right now. I'm the guy to remind everyone that he's human. He's nicknamed the ‘God of War.’ But I'm going to prove that he's just a man.”
It’s a tall task and he knows it. But just like he unlocked a new level in his last three, the New Yorker is certain Frevola 3.0 awaits just around the corner.
UFC 295 FREE FIGHTS: Pereira vs Adesanya 1 | Procházka vs Teixeira | Pavlovich vs Blaydes | Aspinall vs Tybura
“I think the UFC knew what they were doing, matching up me and Benoît. We're both up-and-coming, rising contenders on big finishing streaks. I know that the winner of this fight, a star is going to be born and it's going to be me.”
UFC 295: Procházka vs Pereira took place live from Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 11, 2023. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
Tags
