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“Not in our house.”
That was the slogan of Huntington, Long Island, native Matt “The SteamRolla” Frevola and his fellow LAW MMA teammates throughout their fight camp in preparation for UFC 295 at MSG this Saturday.
Frevola, the No. 14-ranked lightweight in the world with an 11-3-1 record, is set to face France’s Benoît Saint-Denis (12-1) on the pay-per-view main card.
These two fighters have two things in common. One, they are both veterans. Frevola served as a lieutenant in the United States Army Reserve, while Saint-Denis was part of France’s special forces.
And two, they know how to end fights early.
“I want to fight the guys that people don’t want to fight,” said Frevola on taking on the unranked Frenchman who is on a four-win streak (two by submission, two by TKOs). “His nickname is the ‘God of War,’ but I’m going to show the world he’s just a man.”
Frevola, wielding more power than LIPA in his hands, has been on a tear lately, securing three consecutive first-round KOs. His latest victory came against Drew Dober, a veteran fighter never knocked out in the UFC. True to his nickname, the SteamRolla pummeled him with a right hand that sent him to the canvas, ending the fight 4:08 into the match.
This will be Frevola’s first appearance on a UFC pay-per-view. It is slotted as the second spot in UFC 295’s main card, with the main event featuring a light heavyweight title bout between Jiří Procházka and Alex Pereira.
On the undercard, two of Frevola’s teammates will be fighting.
- In the early prelims, Seaford resident and Staten Island native Dennis Buzukja (8-3) will take on Jamall Emmers (19-7) in a featherweight match.
- In the preliminary card, Massapequa resident and Brooklyn native Nazim Sadykhov (9-1) will take on Viacheslav Borshchev (7-3) in a lightweight match.
- Both fights will be aired on ESPN+.
“The energy at the gym has been unreal,” said Frevola, talking to media ahead of UFC 295. “We all feed off each other. The slogan all camp has been, ‘Not in our house.’ Madison Square Garden is our house. We’re all New Yorkers and we’re ready to protect our homeland.”
Frevola will be the sole New Yorker on the main card. And the proud Long Islander is ready to show out.
“I got Long Island blood pumping through my veins,” he said. “I got bacon-egg-and-cheese all in my body and Cinelli’s pizza pumping in me, and I’m going go out there and represent the New York people well.”
Top: Matt Frevola gestures before a lightweight bout against Drew Dober at the UFC 288 mixed martial arts event Saturday, May 6, 2023 in Newark, N.J. Frevola stopped Dober in the first round. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
