Shem Rock may have been a little overconfident about his future in the UFC.
Rock, who trains alongside Paddy Pimblett at Next Generation MMA Liverpool, joined the UFC lightweight roster in 2025. At the time, he sported an impressive 11-1-1 pro record. That obviously gave him a lot of confidence about his chances of success in the promotion, but things ultimately didn’t go well for him. First, he lost a decision to Nurullo Aliev in his debut. Then, things went from bad to worse, as he lost another decision to Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady in sophomore Octagon appearance. With that, he was released from the UFC. News of his departure from the promotion was announced by the X account UFC Roster Watch this week.
While this is obviously a tough moment for Rock, it was a somewhat satisfying one for Octagon veteran Matt Frevola.
UFC veteran Matt Frevola kept the receipts
Shortly after news of Rock’s release from the UFC roster was announced, Frevola shared some private DMs he exchanged with the prospect. The messages appear to have been sent just before Rock made his debut. During the exchange, he can be seen challenging Frevola to a fight, and warning the UFC veteran that the opportunity could pass him by if he doesn’t accept.
See it below:
— Matt “The Steamrolla”Frevola (@SteamRollaa) April 21, 2026
“I’m good to fight a ranked guy in my debut even,” he wrote, attempting to convince Frevola to accept a fight. “I’m giving you a leg up. If [you’re] smart, call my name and let’s fight. It’s a no brainer for you.
“You gon learn what star is,” he added.
Frevola for his part, didn’t seem remotely interested in what he was reading. That’s understandable. The American has been part of the UFC roster since 2018. While he is currently riding three straight losses, he has shared the cage with several elite lightweights, including Benoit Saint Denis, Arman Tsarukyan, and Jalin Turner.