Matt Frevola has made no secret of his desire to share the Octagon with Paddy Pimblett, and the New Yorker thinks there’s no better place for the pair to meet than Madison Square Garden.
UFC 295 will take place at the famous arena on November 11, and Frevola is already targeting that date for his next UFC appearance. And, speaking to the Anik & Florian Podcast at UFC X, “The Steamrolla” said he’d love to face Pimblett on that card.
“I’ve always got that (event) starred on my calendar, you know, and I think it makes sense – me and Paddy’s the biggest non-title fight out there,” he said.
“I think MSG is the perfect arena for that. It looks like he’s back to training, he’s back to sparring. I’m getting ready right now. I think we’ll have a fun build-up. I hope we get the deal signed soon so that we can really like promote the s**t out of this, and have some fun with it.”
Pimblett’s larger-than-life personality has won him plenty of fans, but the Liverpudlian has also picked up a fair few haters along the way, too. The former Cage Warriors champion has been called out by a plethora of fighters, including Frevola, since his arrival in the UFC. But for the New Yorker, the matchup is all about respect.
“You know, I wouldn’t fight this guy if I didn’t think that he was a threat,” he said.
“I respect his skills. I know that he’s good. He was running the European scene for a long time. And he’s 4-0 in the UFC (with) three finishes, I think. I respect his skills, and that’s just what excites me.”
But, despite Frevola’s respect for Pimblett, he revealed that he has a very specific visualization of how a bout with “The Baddy” would end.
“I just see him going for that flying triangle and me ‘Rampage slamming’ him to sleep. I’m sorry! That’s just what I see!”