UFC lightweight fighter Paul Felder has shared various photos of the injuries he sustained from fighting inside the Octagon.
The sixth-ranked lightweight is coming off the toughest battle of his MMA career as he went to an all-out war with Dan Hooker in one of the best fights this year.
Losing by a hair, Felder hinted it could be his final MMA fight. But nine days later, he claimed he still has plenty of gas left in his tank and will return to the Octagon if there is an opportunity to replace any top five fighter.
“No,” Felder said when asked if he has already hanged up his gloves.
“That moment almost seemed right, but nah, I think I’ve got a lot more left in me physically. I’m already recovering from one of the hardest battles of my life, and s—, it’s addictive, man. That five rounds, that main event, I liked it. I liked being on the poster.”
#UFCAuckland bonuses: Dan Hooker, Paul Felder take home ‘Fight of the Night’ following five round slugfest https://t.co/S5JYJHehLE pic.twitter.com/T1TKEieGcq
— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) February 23, 2020
Five Rounder
Asked what will push him back to compete again, the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native said: “If something were to happen to any of these guys in the top five and they can’t match up the way the UFC wants them to match up.”
“There’s been some talk of Al Iaquinta wanting to fight me, and if you give me a five-rounder with him on a big Fight Night, or a rematch with Hooker, which is never going to happen, but obviously that’s something I would take to get that one back.
“I’m not coming back for the last fight on the prelims, or even the second fight on a pay-per-view. And it’s nothing against them. It’s not saying that I deserve all of these extra things.”
“It’s just, to go through what I go through and put myself through in training, and then you see how I pushed myself in the fight, you can’t deny that anymore.”
Dan Hooker and Paul Felder at the hospital together. Two absolute warriors. From Felder’s Instagram: https://t.co/oQS1qn1RHq pic.twitter.com/Yj7rDGavLZ
— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) February 23, 2020
True Warrior
Felder has started his new career as UFC color commentator and while he is taking a break from fighting, he showed off some of the gruesome injuries he suffered inside the cage.
Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “I get asked a lot when I’m returning or if I’m officially retired.”
“I miss the octagon and competing but these Pictures are how I come home to a 5 year old princess. It’s a hard job. This is why I love commentating. I get to talk about the toughest athletes on the planet.”
Check out the photos below:
(Featured Image Source: Paul Felder/ Instagram)