Calling next dibs, Matt Frevola wants Paddy Pimblett after UFC Fight Night 208: ‘Very beatable, but he’s a tough dude’

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Calling next dibs, Matt Frevola wants Paddy Pimblett after UFC Fight Night 208: ‘Very beatable, but he’s a tough dude’

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Matt Frevola didn’t get what he asked for initially, but maybe what he seeks will come with some time.

In limbo with the UFC for weeks in between contracts, Frevola (9-3-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) just wants a fight at this point. Frevola asked for Paddy Pimblett, but instead, Jordan Leavitt won those sweepstakes, with the two set to fight Saturday at UFC Fight Night 208 in London.

Despite the unintentional pause in his career, Frevola is ready to get back in the cage and eyes a fall return. That’s the first step. But if he wins and Pimblett wins Saturday, the stars could align for a late 2022 showdown, predicted Frevola. For that reason, he’s rooting for “The Baddy.”

“I wanted that fight bad,” Frevola recently told MMA Junkie before a training session at Longo Weidman MMA. “I guess maybe the UFC didn’t offer or maybe Paddy turned it down. Who knows? We didn’t get the fight, but I’m rooting for Paddy. I’m hoping Paddy wins. ‘The Monkey (King),’ Jordan Leavitt, he’s no pushover. Hopefully, Paddy is not unconscious on the ground with Jordan Leavitt twerking on his unconscious body. Hopefully not. Hopefully, Paddy goes in there and gets it done, then I get a big win hopefully in September and our paths cross hopefully by the end of the year or something.”

Pimblett, 27, is no stranger to a peppering of callouts. Around every corner, there seems to be someone angling for a fight. Although Frevola called for the matchup, he showed respect for Pimblett, too.

“I think the fight makes perfect sense,” Frevola said. “I’m 3-3-1 in the UFC. He’s 2-0 in the UFC. I’m a good step up in competition for him. I think he’s a showman. When he talks, people listen and he’s got a good following. He’s also very beatable, but he’s a tough dude. He’s good on the ground. He’s tough on the feet. I think it would be a banger fight. I think I’d finish him and take all that hype.”

Frevola, 32, snapped. two-fight losing skid in January when he finished promotional newcomer Genaro Valdez with strikes in Round 1. The fight only lasted 3:15, but Frevola registered four knockdowns on his opponent. The victory returned Frevola into the win column after back-to-back losses to Arman Tsarukyan and Terrance McKinney.

Calling next dibs, Matt Frevola wants Paddy Pimblett after UFC Fight Night 208: ‘Very beatable, but he’s a tough dude’