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Pena vs. Frevola
Lightweights
Luis Pena (7-1) vs. Matt Frevola (7-1-1)Advertisement
“Violent Bob Ross” is a strange persona for a fighter to carry, and Pena backs that up by being a strange fighter inside the cage. Pena is a massive lightweight -- even before factoring in the ginger afro -- and his fighting style revolves around that fact, as he looks to drown his opponents in constant grappling pressure while relying on his size to wear out his competition if he fails to catch them in a submission first. Pena figured to be the favorite on Season 27 of “The Ultimate Fighter” before an injury took him out of the competition, and an attempt to rectify that against eventual season winner Michael Trizano did not go well, as he managed to break down Pena enough from range to keep him at bay. Beyond that, Pena has succeeded in making every fight a mess of constant scrambles where his size has paid dividends. After wins over Steven Peterson and Matt Wiman, Pena is ready for another step up in competition to see where he stands. That is where Frevola comes in.
Long Island’s Frevola has experienced the full range of UFC results on the way to establishing himself as a solid action fighter. “Steamrolla” showed some relentless aggression in his Dana White’s Contender Series win over Jose Flores, but once it came time for his UFC debut, that all-offense approach just got him sparked by Marco Polo Reyes. Since then, the Reyes knockout has looked like a bit of a fluke, as Frevola absorbed a ton of damage against Lando Vannata and Jalin Turner. The Vannata fight resulted in a three-round war that ended in a draw, while Frevola managed to rely on his wrestling to earn a win against Turner. Frevola’s complete lack of regard for the offense coming his way constantly makes it feel like he is walking a tightrope in order to get the victory, but that kill-or-be-killed approach should at least make him a fan favorite for as long as he sticks on the roster.
Frevola is probably the better fighter in a vacuum, but it is up to the New Yorker to stop himself from playing right into Pena’s hands. If Frevola takes a measured approach and picks his shots, he has enough knockout power to catch Pena and score a finish. However, if Frevola takes his usual tack and charges in on Pena, “Violent Bob Ross” should be able to latch onto him and win a messy grind. Given Frevola’s pathological aggression to date, it seems just as likely that he will throw himself into a losing fight as anything else. The pick is Pena via decision.
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