Lightweight notables are set to collide at UFC 288 in Newark, N.J..
After both fighters called for matchups against Paddy Pimblett, Drew Dober and Matt Frevola will instead fight each other. The event takes place May 6 at Prudential Center and is the promotion’s first trip to New Jersey since 2019.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Dober (26-11 MMA, 12-7 UFC) turned his momentum around in 2022. He entered the year on a two-fight skid and exited on a three-fight winning streak that included TKO victories over Terrance McKinney, Rafael Alves, and Bobby Green.
Frevola (10-3-1 MMA, 4-3-1 UFC) has won two fights in a row after back-to-back losses. In January 2022, Frevola stopped Genaro Valdez with strikes in Round 1 at UFC 270. In November, he knocked out previously undefeated Ottman Azaitar in 2:30 at UFC 281.
With the addition, the current UFC 288 lineup includes:
- Champion Aljamain Sterling vs. Henry Cejudo – for bantamweight title
- Charles Oliveira vs. Beneil Dariush
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Jonathan Pearce
- Jessica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Charles Jourdain vs. Kron Gracie
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
- Andre Petroski vs. Armen Petrosyan
- Nate Maness vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
- Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
- Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Munoz
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 288.
