Paul Felder

Who Is Paul Felder?

Paul Felder is a professional MMA fighter who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Paul Felder also competes in the lightweight division. He is best known for his moniker, “The Irish Dragon.” Paul gained the nickname as he has a significant Karate background.

He also works as a color commentator for the ESPN channel.

The fighter has fought against prominent MMA fighters such as Mike Perry, Danny Castillo, Charles Oliviera, Dan Hooker, etc.

Furthermore, he is Irish fighter Conor McGregor‘s favorite person to pick on.

McGregor recently stated that Felder’s surname sounded German rather than Irish.

Instead of taking offense, the commentator joked that he would change his nickname to “The German Dragon” if he ever fought McGregor.

UFC Champion Connor responded to Felder once more, stating that he suffers from a mental ailment known as Witzelsucht.

McGregor’s post received a lot of backlash from fans and the media for making fun of a mental illness. Hence, he deleted the tweet shortly after.

More Facts About Paul Felder

Paul Felder | Childhood, Families, and Education

Paul Felder was born in the American city of Philadelphia.

His parents were Irish immigrants to the United States.

Although there isn’t much information about them, his father was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, according to some sources.

Furthermore, he died when Felder was training for UFC Fight Night 113.

His father’s ashes are worn around his neck by the analyst.

Despite this, he and his brother Tommy were nurtured by loving parents.

They adored their children and were completely supportive of their unique career choices.

Similarly, Tommy and Paul were both quite athletic and grew up participating in sports.

They also fought each other, which served as practice for the UFC fighter.

As a child, the MMA fighter participated in sports such as baseball and football.

He was, nonetheless, always drawn to Karate and Kung-fu.

In an interview, he credits the Ninja Turtles and Jackie Chan with introducing him to Karate and the MMA world.

As a result, Paul asked his parents to join him in a Karate and Tae Kwon Do class as a Christmas present.

His parents were initially skeptical, believing it was a childish wish.

Nonetheless, many changed their minds after witnessing the professional commentator’s dedication to Karate.

So, the fighter started his quest towards becoming a professional mixed martial artist when he was just 12 years old.

Aside from that, he went to Ridley High School in Pennsylvania.

From there, the ESPN commentator finished his high school education.

After that, he went on to study at the University of Arts, where he graduated in acting in 2008.

Paul Felder | Height, Weight, And Age

He is currently 38 years old, having been born on April 25, 1984.

As a professional athlete and MMA fighter, he takes good care of his health and food.

Furthermore, the Irish commentator is physically fit and toned.

Aside from that, the UFC champion stands 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 156 pounds.

MMA Career of Paul Felder

Beginnings of a Career

Paul began his genuine journey to becoming an MMA fighter when he was very young.

Similarly, his parents enrolled him in Karate and Tae Kwon Do training to help him improve his talents.

In 2011, the analyst began his professional MMA career.

Moreover, he has an amateur MMA record of 3–1.

Initially, he fought most of his battle in the Cage Fury Fighting Championships.

He also won the Cage Fury Lightweight Championship.

Similarly, he successfully defended his championship against Craig Jhonson.

Following that, he received offers from the UFC and signed with them.

UFC

The color commentator made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 54, where he faced Jason Saggo.

Paul also won his first match in the new promotion by a split decision.

Following that, he faced Danny Castillo at UFC 182, where he replaced Russian fighter Rustam Khabilov.

His second bout ended in triumph for the Irish-American.

Following that, The Irish Dragon suffered his first defeat in a fight against Edson Barboza at UFC on Fox 16.

Barboza won a unanimous decision over him. Despite his defeat, he got Fight of the Night honors.

Ross Pearson vs. Paul Felder

Before His Fight With Ross Pearson, Paul Felder

The fighter lost his next fight at UFC 191, where he faced English MMA fighter, Ross Pearson.

Following two losses, the analyst won by submission and a unanimous decision over Daron Cruickshank and Josh Burkman, respectively.

The CFFC Lightweight Champion faced Brazilian boxer Francisco Trinaldo at UFC Fight Night 95.

Unfortunately, Paul suffered a tragic loss. Francisco created a huge, bloody cut on Felder’s face during the bout.

As a result, the ringside doctor interrupted the match, and Trinaldo won with a Technical Knock Out.

At UFC Fight Night 105, he faced Alessandro Ricci in his next fight.

The Irish fighter defeated Ricci with a Technical Knockout that included elbows and punches.

Recent Fights and Next Fight

Felder won his next two consecutive fights against Stevie Ray and Charles Oliveira.

He also defeated Ray by felling him with a knee strike.

Similarly, he won his fight against Oliviera at UFC 218 through a Technical Knockout.

Furthermore, the Irish Dragon won in the second round.

Mike Perry vs. Paul Felder

Paul Felder Competes Against Mike Perry

Following that, at UFC 226, the ESPN analyst faced Welterweight Division fighter Mike Perry.

Perry defeated him in the third round by a split decision.

He faced James Vick and Edson Barboza in his next two fights.

Both of those fights were decided in the third round by unanimous and split decisions.

Rumors Of A Final Fight And Retirement

Following that, the Irish-American faced New Zealand MMA fighter Dan Hooker at UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker.

The game took place in Auckland, New Zealand.

Despite the fact that Hooker defeated Felder, several media writers scored the fight in favor of Paul.

As a result, many people regard Dan’s victory as contentious.

Despite this, the color commentator was awarded Fight of the Night for putting on a good show.

Shortly after, he stated in an interview that this could be his final battle.

Not to mention the uproar it sparked among his fans.

However, he later guaranteed that he was not retiring but was looking for more enticing fights.

In his last bout of 2020, he faced Rafael dos Anjos, a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist who is also a UFC Lightweight Champion. The commentator was defeated by a split decision in UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. dos Anjos.

Nonetheless, he received a third Fight of the Night award from the UFC. Paul also agreed to a new multi-fight deal with the promotion.

Retirement

Although the commentator assured his followers that he was not retiring, he just announced his retirement during the broadcast of UFC Fight Night 188.

He upset many of his fans by announcing his retirement from MMA and UFC.

Furthermore, numerous well-known footballers and athletes congratulated him on his career and wished him a happy retirement.

Felder’s retirement came as no surprise since he had been hinting at it for quite some time.

Nonetheless, many fans are surprised that he went in and announced it so soon.

Finally, Paul stated that he thought it was time and that he didn’t want to fight past his expiration date.

Similarly, the broadcaster admitted that he hasn’t felt the same spark he once did.

Furthermore, he expressed gratitude to the UFC organization for being patient with him while he considered retiring.

The former Top 10 UFC Lightweight fighter also cited his health worries as a cause for his retirement. He stated,

“I no longer want to be smacked in the head.

” Right now, I don’t have any severe health worries, but I’ve been fighting some battles.

… [I] want to be able to do sports and other activities with my daughter, as well as play with my dog and other things.”

A career in the Olympics

Felder competed in the AAU Junior Olympic Games prior to his professional career.

The US Amateur Athletic Union hosts it each year.

The MMA fighter competed in the Tae Kwon Do category.

He attended the Junior Olympics alongside his cousin Niko Portillo.

Portillo is one of the key reasons Paul admires and respects his fighting career.

Felder was inspired and encouraged by his cousin to pursue a professional fighting career and to always try to be better.

Aside from that, he hasn’t competed in the Olympics since, and this year is no exception.

Furthermore, the ESPN analyst has retired, therefore he will not be present at the Toko 2020 Olympics.

Highlights And Achievements

Lightweight Championship of the CFFC

Craig Jhonson’s title was successfully defended.

Performance of the Night three times

Three-time Fight of the Night

January 2015 Knockout of the Month

Fight of the Month for September 2019

Fight of the Month in February 2020

2018 Broadcast Analyst of the Year

Paul Felder has a girlfriend, a wife, and three children.

The ESPN commentator has not been linked with anyone as of yet.

Despite speculations that he is married, Fleder has not acknowledged this information.

As a result, he is currently single. Aside from that, he is the father of a sweet little girl named Aisling Felder.

Paul adores his daughter and refers to her as his “little peanut.”

She was also born on May 9, 2015.

She is five years old in 2021 and the apple of her father’s eye.

Furthermore, Paul considers himself fortunate to be able to raise her.

Paul Felder’s Salary And Net Worth

Paul made the majority of his money in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. However, his exact net worth is being calculated.

Despite this, numerous publications estimate his net worth to be more than $2.5 million.

Aside from that, he has made a fortune from all of his fights.

In addition, he receives money through sponsorship and bonuses in each bout.

Similarly, several well-known brands and companies, such as Reebok and Hootsuite, support The Irish Dragon.

Felder earned the most money in his fight against Stevie Ray, earning $109,000.

Moreover, he won the contest with a knockout.

Furthermore, he earns a nice living as an analyst for the ESPN channel.

Not to mention that Paul was named Broadcast Analyst of the Year in 2018.

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Paul Felder | Online Presence

The MMA/UFC fighter is very active on social media.

As a result, he has a 253 thousand-follower Instagram account.

On his handle, Paul has mostly shared his life as an MMA fighter and ESPN color commentator.

Similarly, he has posted excerpts from his fitness routines and training sessions.

The analyst is shirtless in the majority of his Instagram images, where he has exhibited his fit figure.

Similarly, he may be seen fighting in the majority of the footage he’s shared.

Furthermore, he has posted countless images of his mother, late father, and gorgeous daughter on his account.

The Irish-American fighter maintains a warm and intimate relationship with his daughter.

The father-daughter team is always upbeat, and they bond over their love of doughnuts.

Besides that, he has a Twitter account with 126.6 thousand followers.

On his Twitter account, the Irish Dragon usually shares MMA-related news, events, and highlights.