UFC 288 is next up and fans have some amazing fights, as usual, in store for them. Celebrating its 30 years, we have seen the UFC go all out with the fight cards and UFC 288 will be looking to follow suit. As such, let’s take a look at what promises to be one of the most exciting fights of the night.
Going down at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, the event will take place on May 6, 2023. Notably, the headliner will see Men’s Bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling taking on the former champ Henry Cejudo. As for the co-main event,#4 ranked welterweight Belal Muhammad will take on #5 ranked Gilbert Burns. In the lead-up to the event, we have seen some cancellations.
This is gonna be a good one pic.twitter.com/z22BqnA1Yl
— Drew Dober (@DrewDober) March 16, 2023
Firstly, an injury to Charles Oliveira means that his fight against Beneil Dariush needed to be pushed to a later date. Moreover, Bryce Mitchell also injured his back, leading to Diego Lopes stepping in to fight Movsar Evloev. With that said, let’s take a look at the focus for this one, Movsar Evloev vs Diego Lopes. In what has been put together at the last minute, fans will see two promising lightweight go head to head.
UFC 288: Drew Dober vs Matt Frevola stats
| Stats | Drew Dober | Matt Frevola |
|---|---|---|
| Wins | 26 | 10 |
| Losses | 11 | 3 |
| Height | 1.73 m | 1.75 m |
| Division | Lightweight | Lightweight |
| Reach | 1.84 m | 1.84 m |
| Age | 34 | 32 |
Dober vs Frevola: Fight Breakdown
Coming into this one, Drew Dober has stated that the fight will either get a Performance of the Night or a Fight of the Night. Both fighters like to step forward and bang, so fans can expect some heavy-handed action from this one. Touted to be the fans’ fight of the night, expect this one to be fireworks from start to finish. With both fighters looking to solidify their position in the top 15, both will give their all in the bout.
Top 15 Incoming 💣 👊🏻🩸 #UFC288 #Frevola #Dober #DirtyJersey #MyTime #Top15 #Steamrolla #TeamSteam #GigaChad #Gfuel pic.twitter.com/WmhI4zCTDu
— Matt “The Steamrolla”Frevola (@SteamRollaa) March 16, 2023
Fun fact: the last three fights for both athletes has ended in a KO/TKO. However, when it comes to Matt Frevola, his two wins are preceded by a forgettable 7-second KO loss to Terrance McKinney. Since then, SteamRolla has managed to get back on track, against a couple of journeymen fighters. As such, his fight against Dober will definitely be his biggest and he will be hoping to punch his ticket into the top 15 with this one.
As for Dober, the man with the seemingly unbreakable chin, he will finally look to be more than just a middle-order lightweight. Having been in the UFC since 2013, it is time that Drew Dober shows more aspiration and hunger. Whilst we all know that Drew can stand and bang, many would like to see him do that with the best in the division. Thus, he needs to make quick work of Frevola and turn his attention to a top 10 name next.
