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Less than 24 hours ago, Paul Felder wasn’t even sure if he would ever step back into the UFC cage – but on Saturday he will do just that.
Accepting a five-round fight against a former UFC lightweight champion on five days’ notice is not common practice among MMA fighters. However, Felder (17-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC) will face Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC Fight Night 182 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas – a fight he agreed to on Monday following the withdrawal of ‘Islam Makhachev.
“I thought about it and decided with everything going on in the world and all the sad things going on in people’s lives and losing their jobs and their suffering and we just lost Alex, scary Trebek because of pancreatic cancer, I was like, ‘Dude, you know you’re still 36. You are young. You’re in shape. Save this date. Let’s get paid. Let’s have fun. You are fighting a legend, ”Felder said in an interview with ESPN on Monday. “What do I have to lose?”
The timing couldn’t have been better for Felder. Typically walking around 200 pounds, Felder has lost weight in recent weeks while preparing for a triathlon. While not yet in light territory, Felder has revealed he needs to reduce between 14 and 23 pounds before Friday’s weigh-ins.
“I’m way below (180),” Felder said. “I’m in the 70s. I’ll give this to you.” I’m in the 70s. With a little time, a load of water and dehydration, everything will be fine.
So why not take a variable weight? Felder and dos Anjos (30-13 MMA, 18-11 UFC) have competed at welterweight in the past, though they mostly reside at 155 pounds. According to Felder, dos Anjos was focused on making his mark at the lightweight and made it a fixed stipulation that the fight would take place there.
“I think he really wants to fight the best guys at 155 to make his comeback and give himself a chance,” Felder said. “… Obviously, we talked about catchy weights. But I know that with the main events, if possible, they like to keep it in the weight class. It was one of the things, “Do you think you can do it? It won’t be fun, but I’ll make it happen.
Unlike many other last-minute main event changes, Felder vs. dos Anjos remains five rounds. Felder said he was excited about the decision to keep the fight for 25 minutes.
“I like five-round fights,” Felder said. “If you’re going to do a main event, I want to do it right. This is what it was planned to do. Yeah, five rounds. Glad to do five more laps, especially with someone like RDA. This is an experience. We will see. My brain is cool. My body is cool. I don’t take sparring hits like I normally do, but I’m still technically precise and staying very fit, so we’ll see.
Having openly considered MMA retirement recently, Felder considers the situation to be lossless. The opportunity to grow his brand is there, if he wins – and the risk, if he loses, is low.
“I know I’m nearing the end of my career,” Felder said. “I think it’s a win-win for me because if I go there and I can finish and beat RDA, a former champion, then it gives me a lot of selling points to get those bigger fights that seem make allusion to. me in the top five in the lightweight division here at the UFC. How not to give myself something great after that if I go after stepping up? And if that doesn’t go my way, then I saved the day. I’m going there to try to win, so we’ll see.
According to Felder, he’s more likely to retire from MMA competition with a win than a loss. A victory allows him to sail into the sunset, while a loss will reinvigorate his need to prove himself.
“I say 50-50 (this is my last fight),” Felder said. “. … I was thinking about it. What a way to be like, ‘Boom. Mic-drop. ‘ So here is. (Chances of retirement) are probably (increasing), in fact. They are probably increasing. If I lose, I might want to go in there for another. It might eat away at me, just like the (Dan) Hooker fight. I was ready to move on and it’s like you still haven’t really proven what I’m capable of.
UFC Fight Night 182 takes place on Saturday at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and airs on ESPN +.
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