Matt Frevola had the New York City crowd behind him, but it wasn’t enough to endure the power of Benoit Saint-Denis. The Frenchman made short work of Frevola in his own backyard at UFC 295 on Saturday.
Frevola vs. Saint-Denis was a frontrunner for a Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night bonus and it certainly delivered on that end. Frevola made a crucial and regrettable error in Round 1 of their main card clash. Frevola exited a clinch situation and circled away with his hands down. Frevola’s lax defense gave Saint-Denis a clear and critical opening to land a flush head kick. The shot dropped Frevola and some follow up punches on the ground forced the referee stoppage.
Saint-Denis (13-1, 1 NC) has stopped five consecutive opponents in the first round since losing a short notice decision to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in 2021. Saint-Denis has since proven himself as a legitimate contender in the division when granted adequate time to prepare. He entered the fight unranked will likely snatch Frevola’s No. 14 spot in the official UFC rankings.
Frevola (11-4-1) was in the best form of his career, entering Madison Square Garden on Saturday with three consecutive first round stoppages.
