UFC Auckland: Paul Felder’s Coach & Manager Say He’s Not Done Fighting Yet

During Paul Felder’s post-interview, an emotional and battered Paul Felder said he might close the book on his fighting career. But, since then, both his manager and coach have reported “The Irish Dragon” will indeed, fight again.

Felder’s coach and manager say he’ll be back

Felder went to war with Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC Auckland, as many expected would be the case. Early on, Hooker punished the calf of Felder with kicks and battered his face with jabs. Felder, however, kept coming, and as the fight wore on he also tagged Hooker with big shots.

After 25 minutes, however, the fight was awarded to Hooker via split decision. A clearly, devastated Felder said he could be done fighting (quote via MMA Junkie):

“Man, I got a 4-year-old at home that misses me every time I go away like this,” Felder said. “I don’t know. But congratulations to Dan. I knew this is exactly what I was in for when I came here to New Zealand. I pissed this guy off, and when you piss off a talented guy like Dan, he’s gonna bring it to you.

“Man, that was fun, brother. Five rounds going at it. I’m not sure (what’s next), you know. I’ll still go back, I’ll talk to my family, but it was an absolute honor to share the octagon for 25 minutes with this guy.”

But, following the event, Felder’s coach Duke Roufus told MMA Junkie this:

“His retirement comments were in the moment. Paul’s not done.”

And the lightweight contender’s manager, Brian Butler, also relayed this to the outlet:

“Paul will be back,” Butler said. “He said it to me in the back. … Emotions run high, but Paul knows he won that fight and is not hanging it up just yet.”

Not surprising

While you can certainly understand Felder’s wish to spend as much time as possible with his family, it won’t be surprising if indeed, he fights again. After all, Felder is only 34, and he’s currently ranked #6 in the UFC’s 155 division. So, are still some big fights on the horizon for Felder if he wants them, and with a couple of key wins, he’ll be back in the title shot mix.

All that said, it will be interesting to see when and who Felder fights next. Both he and Hooker went to the hospital after their five-round war, so it could be a little while before they’re ready to fight again.