Thursday, September 3

UFC 191: Paul Felder Is Not Just Some Spinning Piece of Meat (or Maybe He Is)

Paul Felder knows exactly what you think of him: a prelim pyrotechnician, throwing spinning knockout blows to dazzle and amaze.

What, does he amuse you? Is that why he’s here? Wham, bam, thank you, MMA fan? Just doling out the spinning backfists for your entertainment and then off to the Cerrone ranch for another day of canned beer and base jumping, is it?

I’m disgusted.

But you know who’s not disgusted? Paul Felder. He knows precisely what you want, and he’s actually kind of cool with it. In fact, it’s all part of Felder’s grand design.

“I love it, man,” Felder said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “It’s why I do this. It wasn’t without a plan. I took these fights on purpose, and I fight the way I do on purpose.”

For those who don’t use social media or watch UFC fights on cable TV, Felder (10-1, 2-1 UFC) has, as he puts it, “a bit of an exciting style.” The 30-year-old Philly native who calls himself “The Irish Dragon” is a newer entrant on the scene, having made his pro debut in 2011 and entering the UFC less than a year ago.

But he has quickly earned a reputation as a high-octane striker and a walking piece of appointment television. His weapon of choice, the aforementioned spinning backfist, laid out Danny Castillo in January and earned Felder a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.

The spinning stuff was out in force again in July, when he sustained his first professional loss at the hands of Edson Barboza but put on such a spectacular tango of violence it earned him and Barboza Fight of the Night honors and another $50,000.

 Some people suggested it was one of the best fights of the year.

“It’s hard to have a sense in there of how it looks, but I really got a sense when the corners said there was one minute left, and I could hear the crowd get behind us,” Felder recalled. “I was upset when I lost…Backstage, after I got myself together, I asked ‘was it exciting, at least?’ And my trainers said, ‘uh, yeah, it was exciting.’” 

Felder’s style has made him an instant cult favorite on Twitter and among hardcore fans everywhere—something he’s fully aware of.

“I love all this stuff on Twitter,” he said. “I try to keep up on social media…It’s all part of the game.” 

 Felder will try to make it three bonuses in a row—and get back in the win column— Saturday at UFC 191, where he faces another slugger in Great Britain’s Ross Pearson.

Does he understand expectations for this fight? Of course. Will he try to deliver? Surely. But he’s careful not to underemphasize the main point of professional fighting.

“He’s going to come in there and try to take my head off. Of course I want Fight of the Night,” Felder said. “But I’m in this sport to win fights. I have to put that above putting on a spinning aerial display.”

Perhaps the showman's spirit was honed at the Cerrone ranch, a kind of fighter sleepaway camp in the New Mexico desert created by lightweight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, who is known almost as much for his adrenaline addiction as he is for his hyperaggressive style in the cage. 

It must be a pretty crazy environment out there.

“It’s not all that intense,” Felder said with a chuckle. “We do a lot of napping and training. We drink a lot of coffee. When you live with Cowboy, there’s always something going on…But mostly it’s just us busting our butts.”

In short, Felder wants to be here for a while, and he’s glad you like him. If he keeps finding success (and bonus checks), he’s going to keep doing his thing. 

“It has all definitely happened fast, it’s been just a year next month since I signed with the UFC,” Felder said. “I’ve gotten some love from the UFC and from the fans. ... Fortune favors the brave.”


Scott Harris covers MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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