And with that, Frevola moved on. As soon as the fight was over, he got down to the business of marrying his lady, Billie, which he did in September. After that, it was a little honeymoon to Italy and Africa’s Seychelles Islands, and as the newlyweds’ trip wound down, Frevola got news of a fight with his name on it.
“And we got back to work,” said the 31-year-old, who is tasked with handing Mexico’s Valdez his first pro loss. And though the two have similar pro experience, with Valdez checking in at 10-0 and Frevola at 8-3-1, the UFC experience edge is vast on the side of “The SteamRolla,” and he knows it.
“It’s crazy – this is my seventh UFC fight, so just the Octagon experience and going through the whole fight week, it feels normal now,” he said. “I’ve gone through it, I’ve done this many times and I feel at home in the UFC. So it’s definitely gonna play a big part.”
Not so much that he’s dismissing Valdez, who earned his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last October. But he does know what it’s like coming off that show and stepping into the fire without really knowing what’s in store. How? He’s been there.
“He is undefeated, so I know he’s gonna have that attitude and that feeling like he can’t be beat,” said Frevola. “I remember when I was undefeated going into the UFC. I felt untouchable. I walked into the Octagon for the first time undefeated, thinking I was just gonna go in there and do what I always do, and I got caught and I got finished. So I know what he’s feeling. He’s feeling like he can’t be stopped, and I’m gonna wake him up and give him a reality check, just like when I got to the UFC and got that reality check myself.”