Nov 09, 2020 Both Felder and dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) have competed at welterweight in the past, though they reside mostly at 155 pounds. According to Felder, dos Anjos was focused on making his mark at. Nov 10, 2020 Top UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder was praised by the MMA community on Monday after it was announced that he was stepping in on five days notice to fight former lightweight champion Rafael. (Redirected from UFC on ESPN+ 26) UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker (also known as UFC Fight Night 168 and UFC on ESPN+ 26) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 23, 2020 at Spark Arena in Auckland, New Zealand. Jan 14, 2021 Felder’s role as fight analyst at UFC 257 will see him cross paths with Conor McGregor, who has taken issue with the Philadelphia native’s fighting moniker, “The Irish Dragon,” on social media in.

UFC Vegas 14: Paul Felder Preps For Short-Notice Main Event Stepping in on five days notice, Paul Felder prepares for a main event lightweight bout against Rafael Dos Anjos.

ABU DHABI – Paul Felder can say definitively that he’s not the fight UFC president Dana White recently came out and said he’s working on for Nate Diaz.

Earlier this week White said he’s attempting to put together a fight for Diaz (20-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) that should have the MMA community very excited and would put him in a prominent position going forward. Moreover, he said the matchup would be at lightweight, where Diaz has not fought since December 2015.

After White’s comments, speculation became rampant about who would fit the description he teased. Felder (17-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) said he received countless messages questioning if he’s part of the plan but verified on Thursday that it’s not him – despite his hopes otherwise.

“I’ve had so many people tag me saying, ‘UFC in the works: Paul Felder vs. Nate Diaz,'” Felder told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media availability. “I’m like, ‘When are they going to call me and tell me about that?’ You want to talk about motivated and getting excited? I would absolutely love that fight.

“Like (Dan) Hooker even said, I would fight him at ’85, at 205 – it doesn’t matter. That’s a fight you take. Nate’s a legend at this point. I would love that fight. But now, it’s not me. I wish it was me.”

If not him, then who could Diaz potentially be fighting in his comeback? White was resistant to give many details when he spoke to The Mac Life, but Felder offer a guess in Justin Gaethje.

“I know (Charles) Oliveira said he didn’t want to fight Gaethje, right? He said he wants to wait,” Felder said. “Maybe Justin? I have no inside information on this, by the way. I don’t know who it would be. I’m thinking Justin, but if he slips on a banana peel and can’t do it, I’d be down.”

Although Felder would like to be included in the Diaz sweepstakes, he said he’s being realistic about his next move. He’s on a two-fight losing skid, with a pair of split decision defeats to Rafael dos Anjos and Dan Hooker in 2020. There was a time there when it seemed Felder was working toward a permanent role as a broadcaster and his time as an active fighter was over, but recent outcomes have inspired him again.

Because of that, Felder said he’s willing to work his way up the good old-fashioned way, and that’s by taking on an opponent who is within range of his ranking and in a similar spot.

“I need to go out there and perform in my next fight,” Felder said. “Not worried about getting a top-two guy, a top-three guy. It’s not going to happen. I need somebody that’s in a similar position, where they’ve got to go out and perform, and one of us will move forward and one will take a step back.”

ABU DHABI – Paul Felder is looking forward to getting behind the mic for the first UFC pay-per-view event of 2021, even though one of the main event combatants has taken pot-shots at him in the past.

Felder’s role as fight analyst at UFC 257 will see him cross paths with Conor McGregor, who has taken issue with the Philadelphia native’s fighting moniker, “The Irish Dragon,” on social media in the past.

Chatting to reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media session on “UFC Fight Island,” Felder said he hoped the jibes won’t return when he and McGregor cross paths during their respective fight week obligations.

Ufc Felder Vs Barboza

“I was talking to my producer,” he said. “We’re going to have to do fighter meetings, and hopefully we can get through that without any German comments.”

When quizzed about how it all started, Felder shrugged, grinned, and recounted a story he admitted he takes no enjoyment from telling.

“My last name is German, right? My dad’s side … I hate talking about this!” he laughed. “I know I’m not Irish. I’m not German. I’m not Italian. I’m not Swedish. I’m American. I get that.

Ufc Felder Vs

“I also did not give myself ‘The Irish Dragon’ nickname. As a matter of fact, I fought against it for the first few fights of my pro career, because I freaking hated it. I thought it was stupid. It got put together because I did karate (and) Lyoto Machida was one of my favorite fighters – ‘The Dragon’ – and then this guy was like, ‘You’re Irish – The Irish Dragon,’ and he started saying it on a YouTube video. CFFC got a hold of it when I was fighting for them. They just called me that for one fight, and it stuck. So I’m not trying to claim any heritage and this and that. Obviously, I’m of Irish descent. You can take one look at me.”

Felder’s been happy to just go with the flow and accept his given nickname, but when McGregor took aim at him on social media for his fighting moniker, Felder said he actually understood why, though he insisted he’s not changing his label anytime soon.

“He’s poked fun at me on social media and then deletes them,” Felder said. “I think he’s just (expletive) with me, to be honest, you know? He’s like that. He’s not an idiot. He’ll poke at anybody in case … you climb the ranks, and you’re next. He’s like that.

Ufc Felder Vs Ricci

“I know why (McGregor called me out) because I’m calling myself ‘The Irish Dragon’ and he’s like, ‘Well, your last name is German, so what the hell are you talking about?’ So if I ever had to fight him, maybe I’d come out as ‘The German Dragon’ for that one. But it’s all good, and I don’t think that’s going to come up in fighter meetings, but we shall see.”