Paul Felder

Paul Robert Felder (born April 25, 1984)[1] is an American professional mixed martial artist and color commentator.[10] He currently competes in the Lightweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2011, Felder also fought for the Cage Fury Fighting Championships. As of February 8, 2021, he is #10 in the UFC lightweight rankings.[11]

Paul Felder
Felder in 2017
BornPaul Robert Felder[1]
(1984-04-25) April 25, 1984[1]
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Nickname(s)The Irish Dragon
Height5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Weight156 lb (71 kg; 11.1 st) [3]
DivisionLightweight
Welterweight
Reach70 1⁄2 in (179 cm)[4]
StyleTaekwondo, Karate, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Fighting out ofPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
TeamRenzo Gracie Academy Philly (2011–present)[5]
Nick Catone MMA (2016)[6]
Roufusport (2016–present)[6]
Rank2nd degree black belt in Taekwondo[7][8]
Black belt in Shotokan Karate[8]
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Daniel Gracie[9]
Years active2011–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total23
Wins17
By knockout10
By submission1
By decision6
Losses6
By knockout1
By decision5
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Felder was born and raised in Philadelphia and is of Irish and German descent.[12] He began training in martial arts at age 12, starting with Tae Kwon Do and Karate at Zhang Sah. Felder competed in the AAU Junior Olympic Games for Tae Kwon Do with his cousin Niko Portillo, who was the main inspiration for Felder's fighting career. Felder attended Ridley High School in Folsom, Pennsylvania and later the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, for acting, graduating in 2008.[13]

During college, Felder began training in Muay Thai before later transitioning to mixed martial arts.[14] Due to his karate background, he was given the nickname "The Irish Dragon", a reference to his Irish heritage and fellow karate practitioner Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida. Felder initially pushed back against the nickname, but it caught on and he stuck with it.[12] After fellow UFC lightweight fighter Conor McGregor commented that Felder's surname was of German origin, Felder joked in January 2021 that he would use the nickname "The German Dragon" if he ever fought McGregor.[15]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Felder compiled an amateur MMA record of 3–1 and began his professional mixed martial arts career in 2011. Felder competed entirely in his native Mid-Atlantic states, with most fights for the regional promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships.

Felder ultimately became Lightweight Champion for the promotion, earning the title with a second-round knockout of Marc Stevens. Felder then defended his title once, with a second-round knockout of Craig Johnson, before signing with the UFC in August 2014.[16]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Felder made his promotional debut on October 4, 2014 at UFC Fight Night 54 where he faced Jason Saggo.[16] Felder won the fight by split decision.[17]

Felder was briefly scheduled to face Johnny Case on January 18, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 59.[18] However, Felder was tabbed as a replacement against Danny Castillo on January 3, 2015 at UFC 182, replacing Rustam Khabilov.[19] Felder defeated Castillo via second-round knockout, which earned Felder a Performance of the Night award.[20]

Felder was expected to face Jim Miller on April 18, 2015 at UFC on Fox 15.[21] However, Felder pulled out of the fight citing a knee injury and was replaced by Beneil Dariush.[22]

Felder faced Edson Barboza on July 25, 2015 at UFC on Fox 16, replacing an injured Myles Jury.[23] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[24] Both participants earned Fight of the Night honors.[25] UFC President Dana White said afterwards that the fight "takes Felder to another level".[26]

Felder faced Ross Pearson on September 5, 2015 at UFC 191.[27] He lost the back-and-forth fight by split decision.[28]

Felder faced Daron Cruickshank on January 17, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 81.[29] He won the fight via submission in the third round.[30]

Felder next faced Josh Burkman on May 29, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 88.[31] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[32]

Felder faced Francisco Trinaldo on September 24, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 95.[33] During the fight, repeated elbows from Trinaldo opened up a large, bloody cut on Felder's face. With a huge cut and blood streaming down Felder's face, the ringside physician waved the fight off at 2:25 of the third round. Felder lost by TKO (doctor's stoppage).[34]

Felder faced Alessandro Ricci on February 19, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 105.[35] He won the fight via TKO in the first round due to a combination of an elbow and punches.[36][37] The win also earned Felder his second Performance of the Night bonus award.[37]

Felder faced Stevie Ray on July 16, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 113.[38] He won the fight by knockout in the first round after dropping Stevie Ray with a knee strike and subsequently finishing him off with a barrage of ground and pound.[39] The win also earned Felder his third Performance of the Night bonus award.[40]

Felder was expected to face Al Iaquinta on December 2, 2017 at UFC 218.[41] However, Iaquinta pulled out of the fight on October 31 citing an injury and was replaced by Charles Oliveira.[42] Felder won the fight in the second round, finishing Oliveira via TKO with a series of elbows.[43] The bout with Iaquinta was rescheduled for UFC 223. However on the day of the weigh-ins, Max Holloway was declared unfit to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov, so Iaquinta replaced him.[44]

Felder was scheduled to face James Vick on July 14, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 133.[45] However, on June 27, Vick was pulled from that fight in favor of a matchup against Justin Gaethje the following month at UFC Fight Night 135. On June 28, it was announced that Felder would replace Yancy Medeiros in a Welterweight bout against Mike Perry at UFC 226 on July 7.[46][47] He lost the fight via split decision.[48]

Felder faced James Vick on February 17, 2019 at UFC on ESPN 1.[49] He won the fight by unanimous decision.[50]

Felder faced Edson Barboza in a rematch on September 7, 2019 at UFC 242.[51] Felder won by a split decision.[52][53] 3 out of 13 media journalists the fight scored the fight for Felder, while the other 10 viewed Barboza as the winner.[54]

As the first bout of his new, multi-fight deal Felder faced Dan Hooker on February 23, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker.[55][56] He lost the fight via a controversial split decision.[57] 12 out of 17 media journalists scored the fight for Felder.[58] This fight earned him a Fight of the Night award.[59] After the fight Felder mentioned in his post-fight speech it may have been his last fight, however he confirmed in an interview with Ariel Helwani that he was not retiring, but only wants to take on fights which entice him.[60][61]

In a quick turnaround, it was announced that Felder stepped in on five days notice to replace Islam Makhachev and face former UFC Lightweight Champion Rafael dos Anjos on November 14, 2020, while headlining UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos.[62] Felder was originally scheduled to work the event as a color-commentator.[63] He lost the bout by split decision.[64] This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.[65] Subsequently, Felder signed a new, multi-fight contract with the UFC.[66]

Personal life

Felder has a daughter, Aisling (born 2015).[67]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
23 matches 17 wins 6 losses
By knockout 10 1
By submission 1 0
By decision 6 5
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 17–6 Rafael dos Anjos Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos November 14, 2020 5 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Fight of the Night.
Loss 17–5 Dan Hooker Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker February 23, 2020 5 5:00 Auckland, New Zealand Fight of the Night.
Win 17–4 Edson Barboza Decision (split) UFC 242 September 7, 2019 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 16–4 James Vick Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Velasquez February 17, 2019 3 5:00 Phoenix, Arizona, United States
Loss 15–4 Mike Perry Decision (split) UFC 226 July 7, 2018 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Welterweight debut.
Win 15–3 Charles Oliveira TKO (elbows) UFC 218 December 2, 2017 2 4:06 Detroit, Michigan, United States
Win 14–3 Stevie Ray KO (elbows) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio July 16, 2017 1 3:57 Glasgow, Scotland Performance of the Night.
Win 13–3 Alessandro Ricci TKO (elbow and punches) UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Browne February 19, 2017 1 4:44 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Performance of the Night.
Loss 12–3 Francisco Trinaldo TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg September 24, 2016 3 2:25 Brasília, Brazil
Win 12–2 Josh Burkman Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Almeida vs. Garbrandt May 29, 2016 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–2 Daron Cruickshank Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz January 17, 2016 3 3:56 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Loss 10–2 Ross Pearson Decision (split) UFC 191 September 5, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 10–1 Edson Barboza Decision (unanimous) UFC on Fox: Dillashaw vs. Barão 2 July 25, 2015 3 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States Fight of the Night.
Win 10–0 Danny Castillo KO (spinning back fist) UFC 182 January 3, 2015 2 2:09 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 9–0 Jason Saggo Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: MacDonald vs. Saffiedine October 4, 2014 3 5:00 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Win 8–0 Craig Johnson KO (spinning heel kick) CFFC 38: Felder vs. Johnson August 9, 2014 2 3:44 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Defended the CFFC Lightweight Championship.
Win 7–0 Marc Stevens TKO (punches) CFFC 33: Felder vs. Stevens March 22, 2014 2 4:03 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States Won the CFFC Lightweight Championship.
Win 6–0 Julian Lane Decision (unanimous) CFFC 28: Brenneman vs. Baker October 26, 2013 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 5–0 Corey Bleaken Decision (unanimous) CFFC 24: Sullivan vs. Becker May 11, 2013 3 5:00 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States
Win 4–0 Ricky Nuno TKO (elbows) CFFC 20: Heckman vs. Martinez February 8, 2013 1 2:15 King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 3–0 Khama Worthy TKO (punches) Pinnacle FC: Pittsburgh Challenge Series 1 December 29, 2012 1 1:10 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 2–0 Judah Ciervo TKO (doctor stoppage) XFE: Cage Wars 14 March 3, 2012 2 5:00 Chester, Pennsylvania, United States
Win 1–0 Mtume Goodrum TKO (knees) CFFC 12: Pollard vs. Soto December 10, 2011 2 2:31 Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States Lightweight debut.

[72]

See also

References
  1. Mixed martial arts show results Date: May 29, 2016
  2. "Paul felder @ Sherdog".
  3. "Paul felder @ Sherdog".
  4. "Fight Card - UFC 182 Jones vs. Cormier". UFC.com. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  5. Garrett Derr (July 23, 2015). "Philly's Felder looks to extend MMA streak". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  6. Matt Erickson (July 14, 2017). "Camp change paid off quickly for UFC Fight Night 113's Paul Felder". MMAjunkie.com.
  7. "Paul Felder - Official UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2015. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  8. "Paul Felder - Full Circle Martial Arts". fullcirclemartialarts.net. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
  9. Jon Gagnon (January 17, 2016). "Felder delivers when he needs it most in Boston". UFC.com.
  10. "Paul Felder details preparation to call every bout on 'Fight Island'". MMA Junkie. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  11. "Rankings | UFC". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2021-02-09.
  12. Murphy, Darragh (2021-01-14). "Paul Felder on Conor McGregor meeting after Irish heritage dispute". Pundit Arena. Retrieved 2021-01-25.
  13. "Paul Felder - Official UFC® Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  14. Matt Mullin (2015-03-02). "For Philly's Paul Felder, fighting and acting go hand-in-hand". PhillyVoice.com. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  15. 161385360554578 (2021-01-14). "Felder explains McGregor insults over 'Irish Dragon' nickname are mind games". talkSPORT. Retrieved 2021-02-04.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. Lutfi Sariahmed (2014-08-14). "CFFC Champ Paul Felder signs with UFC, faces Jason Saggo on Oct. 4 in Canada". sherdog.com.
  17. Steven Marrocco (2014-10-04). "UFC Fight Night 54 results: Paul Felder gets past Jason Saggo with split decision". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-10-04.
  18. "Johnny Case vs. Paul Felder slated for UFC Fight Night 59 in Boston". mmajunkie.com. 2014-10-01. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  19. John Morgan (December 8, 2014). "Danny Castillo vs. Paul Felder set for UFC 182 in Las Vegas". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  20. "UFC 182 Fighter Bonuses: Paul Felder's stunning KO earns a post-fight honor". sports.yahoo.com. 2015-01-04. Retrieved 2015-01-04.
  21. Sean Bio (2015-01-15). "Jim Miller vs. Paul Felder set for UFC on FOX 15". cagepages.com. Retrieved 2015-01-15.
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  29. "Daron Cruickshank vs. Paul Felder slotted for UFC Fight Night 81 in Boston". mmajunkie.com. 2015-10-22. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  30. Brent Brookhouse (2016-01-17). "UFC Fight Night 81 results: Paul Felder scores comeback choke over Daron Cruickshank". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-01-17.
  31. Mike Bohn and Matt Erickson (2016-03-19). "UFC Fight Night 88 gets 8 new fights". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-03-19.
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  35. Themistoklis Alexis (2016-01-23). "Paul Felder faces Alessandro Ricci at UFC Halifax". thescore.com. Retrieved 2017-01-23.
  36. Ben Flowkes (2017-02-19). "UFC Fight Night 105 results: Paul Felder finishes Alessandro Ricci with first-round TKO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
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  38. Scott Mullen (2017-05-05). "Stevie Ray to face Paul Felder in UFC Fight Night in Glasgow". heraldscotland.com. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  39. Danny Segura (2017-07-16). "Paul Felder stops Stevie Ray with brutal first-round knockout at UFC Fight Night 113". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  40. Staff (2017-07-16). "UFC Fight Night 113 bonuses: Santiago Ponzinibbio leads $50,000 winners with upset KO". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  41. Brandon Folsom (2017-10-12). "UFC 218: No. 11 Al Iaquinta vs. Paul Felder added to LCA fight". freep.com. Retrieved 2017-10-12.
  42. Steven Marrocco (2017-10-31). "Al Iaquinta out, Charles Oliveira in against Paul Felder at UFC 218". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
  43. "UFC 218 results: Paul Felder survives Charles Oliveira's ground game, gets second-round KO". MMAjunkie. 2017-12-03. Retrieved 2017-12-03.
  44. Staff (2018-01-14). "Take 2? Paul Felder vs. Al Iaquinta booked for UFC 223". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-01-15.
  45. "Paul Felder vs. James Vick slated for UFC Boise". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  46. Alexander K. Lee (2018-06-28). "UFC announces James Vick as replacement for Al Iaquinta vs. Justin Gaethje in UFC Lincoln main event". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  47. "UFC 226: Miocic vs Cormier". UFC. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  48. "UFC 226 results: Mike Perry gets past Paul Felder in grueling, bloody battle". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
  49. Marcel Dorff (2018-12-13). "Many battles of canceled UFC 233 card moved to other events" (in Dutch). mmadna.nl. Retrieved 2018-12-13.
  50. "UFC on ESPN 1 results: Paul Felder outduels James Vick in standup affair". MMAjunkie. 2019-02-18. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
  51. "Edson Barboza vs. Paul Felder rematch in the works for UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi". MMA Junkie. 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-05.
  52. "Twitter reacts to Paul Felder's controversial win over Edson Barboza in UFC 242 rematch". MMA Junkie. 2019-09-07. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
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  54. "Paul Felder def. Edson Barboza:: UFC 242:: MMA Decisions". mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  55. "Kiwi Dan Hooker confirmed as main event for UFC Auckland". 2019-11-27. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 2019-11-27.
  56. Damon Martin (December 3, 2019). "Paul Felder inks new multi-fight deal with UFC ahead of showdown with Dan Hooker". mmafighting.com.
  57. Doherty, Dan (2020-02-22). "UFC Auckland Results: Dan Hooker Takes Wild Split Decision from Paul Felder". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  58. "Dan Hooker def. Paul Felder:: UFC on ESPN+ 26:: MMA Decisions". www.mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2020-06-04.
  59. Newswire, MMA Fighting (2020-02-22). "UFC Auckland bonuses: Dan Hooker, Paul Felder take home 'Fight of the Night' following five round slugfest". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  60. Guillen Jr., Adam. "Paul Felder confirms he isn't retiring from UFC, but will only take on an enticing challenge". MMA Mania. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  61. Shelton, Cole. "Paul Felder says he hasn't fought his last fight yet: 'I've got a lot more left in me'". BJPenn.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  62. Martin, Damon (2020-11-09). "Paul Felder steps into face Rafael dos Anjos in new UFC Vegas 14 main event". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  63. "Twitter showers Paul Felder with love for filling in to fight Rafael dos Anjos on short notice". FanSided. 2020-11-09. Retrieved 2020-11-09.
  64. Doherty, Dan (2020-11-14). "UFC Vegas 14 Results: Rafael dos Anjos Controls Resilient Paul Felder". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  65. Ravens, Andrew (2020-11-14). "UFC On ESPN+ 41 Bonuses: Rafael Dos Anjos & Paul Felder Earn FOTN Honors". MMA News. Retrieved 2020-11-14.
  66. Dan Hiergesell (November 20, 2020). "Paul Felder inks new multi-fight deal with UFC following RDA loss". mmamania.com.
  67. Paul Felder [@felderpaul] (May 9, 2018). "Happy third Birthday my my little princess! You are so beautiful and… instagram.com/p/BijsCEhgMYU/" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  68. "MMAjunkie's 'KO of the Month' for January: Flying knee, body kick or spinning stuff?". MMAjunkie. 2015-02-02. Retrieved 2016-05-13.
  69. "MMA Junkie's 'Fight of the Month' for September: A rematch ends in controversy". mmajunkie.com. October 3, 2019.
  70. "MMA Junkie's 'Fight of the Month' for February: Lightweight contenders go to war". mmajunkie.com. March 5, 2020.
  71. Matthew Petela. "Paul Felder awarded the best broadcast analyst". CombatPress.com. Retrieved 2019-01-17.
  72. Sherdog.com. "Paul". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
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