Miller, who submitted Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 84 on Saturday night, called out Felder following his big win. “The Irish Dragon” was working the broadcast booth cageside, and hasn’t fought since 2020, but it appears the possibility of a comeback fight was something the pair had discussed in advance.

“Anybody that knows me or talks to me,” Felder told media outlets including Cageside Press backstage, “knew that Jim was the name that was gonna be like ‘if I’m going to do it, I want it to be against a guy like Jim.’ Somebody that’s around my age, that’s been in the game a long time. I’m not trying to come back and make a run for the belt or anything like that.”

Felder was getting back into racing in Triathlons and questioning whether he really wanted to go back to fighting, but wound up talking to Miller during recent fighter meetings. “Obviously the people around me are kind of egging it on and pushing me, and I was like ‘if you call me out, Jim, it’s something I’d be interesting in doing.'” Miller replied by suggesting if Felder hooked him up with a broadcasting gig, “‘we’ll make it a deal.’ I think they’ll be calling him for at least an audition coming up.”

Felder admits that he has to get back in the gym and see how he feels. There’s also the UFC’s desires to take into consideration. “It’s also up to the UFC too. I obviously haven’t pressed the issue. Sean [Shelby, UFC matchmaker] knew that, he knew he wanted to test me out and see if I was just being flakey, and I’ve done it in the past where I’m like ‘I’m coming back, I’m going to make a run for it, I’m going to do all this’ and then I just don’t. So I’ve got to see if they’re even interested in that fight happening. But to do it on a legendary card like that would be incredible.”

The allure might just be worth it for Felder, who has been working on acting projects in addition to broadcasting.

“It’s definitely a possibility. I’ve got to go home, and I’ll probably have a fun night tonight, and then get back into seeing how the body feels training. I’m in phenomenal shape, I’m in the best shape of my adult life the last few years, I just haven’t been fighting.”

Watch the full UFC Vegas 84 post-fight press conference appearance by Paul Felder above.

The post Paul Felder Open to Facing Jim Miller at UFC 300: “It’s Definitely a Possibility” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Chael Sonnen Hit with Eleven Criminal Charges, and a Lawsuit

First, Chael Sonnen was facing five criminal charges relating to a brawl in a hotel hallway in Las Vegas late last year. Then, those charges were dismissed without prejudice. Now, he’s been slapped with eleven counts — 10 misdemeanor battery charges and one count of felony battery by strangulation. Plus a civil lawsuit.

The lawsuit has been brought about by an alleged victim, Dr. Christopher Stellpflug, and his wife, who claim the retired Bellator and UFC star attacked them without provocation. They told their story to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In comments to the paper, both Stellpflugs claimed to be recovering from concussions and and bruises, while Mrs. Stellpflug suffered a split lip.

A police report listed only that five individuals had suffered “apparent minor injury.”

Previously, fellow fighter Brendan Schaub let slip that Sonnen was defending his wife in the altercation. Or at least his wife’s honor. Sonnen himself, wisely, has not commented, but there’s likely more to this story than we’re getting. As for loading up on 10 battery charges in a brawl involving five other individuals, that’s the usual tactic used in the hopes of forcing a plea deal on a suspect. Whether Sonnen takes the bait remains to be seen.

Sonnen is currently suspended from his duties with ESPN while the legal process plays out.

And then there were fewer

Scratch that. Later in the week, Chael Sonnen saw a felony charge and four misdemeanor counts dropped by prosecutors. Sonnen’s lawyer, Dayvid Figler, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that the D.A. “realized that the more appropriate way to move forward would be with this amended complaint.”

Sonnen still faces the remaining misdemeanor charges, and the civil lawsuit.

Deiveson Figueiredo wants “Dirty Kiwi” Kai Kara-France Next

UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo — or whoever is working his social media accounts these days — says he wants “dirty Kiwi” Kai Kara-France next.

The comments were made in a post following the New Zealand flyweight’s win over Askar Askarov at UFC Columbus. Currently, the UFC is thought to be working on a fourth fight between Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno, given their career series is tied 1-1-1.

According to the “God of War,” or more likely, manager Walid Ismail, “Assassin Baby” Brandon Moreno “just took the back seat.”

Honestly, both of these fights sound fun, so, whatever.

Congratulations you dirty kiwi @kaikarafrance you just punched your ticket with the God of War. @theassassinbaby you just took the back seat. You are 0- 2 against @Pantojamma if you could beat him I’ll give you the next title shot. 🇧🇷 Vs🇦🇺 let’s make it happen @danawhite pic.twitter.com/mysuGl9Wsa

— Deiveson (@Daico_Deiveson) March 27, 2022

Curtis Blaydes Hits Back

Curtis Blaydes had a little message for the “all you do is wrestle” crowd following his main event win at UFC Columbus.

“aLl YoU dO iS wReStLe” pic.twitter.com/pqQkHhamEk

— Curtis Blaydes (@RazorBlaydes265) March 27, 2022

Felder Plays Matchmaker, Strikes a Nerve

Paul Felder’s attempt at booking future title shots for the welterweight division got a cool reception this past week.

“After what Belal [Muhammad] showed in his last performance with [Stephen] ‘Wonderboy’ [Thompson] and what Sean [Brady] has shown throughout his career, I think it’s one of those two guys in the future [fighting for the title],” he told MMA Fighting recently.

That was after noting that Leon Edwards deserves the next shot, which he will likely get this July.

Khamzant Chimaev, meanwhile, still has more to prove as a welterweight, Felder believes — primarily when it comes to making the weight.

Chimaev has competed twice in the UFC as a welterweight, beating Rhys McKee and Li Jingliang. He successfully made weight both times, despite it being a struggle ahead of the Jingliang fight, and will get another shot at it when he faces Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.

Fans online were quick to chastise Felder for his picks, noting that Brady and Muhammad seemingly have little to offer champ Kamaru Usman. Chimaev, should he get past Burns, is another story entirely.

The Oscars Incident Somehow an MMA Story?

This isn’t unique to MMA media, because some pro wrestling dirt sheets did it as well. But conjuring up a story on the Will Smith-Chris Rock incident at the wholly unnecessary Academy Awards (as in, the entire sorry show is unnecessary at this point, the slap included) is the worst example of clickbait journalism. Well, maybe not the worst. But up there.

Yes, big news happened. It didn’t happen in your sphere. Sometimes, it’s okay to let things pass. No, we didn’t need a comparison of Smith-Rock to Masvidal-Covington.

That said, Rock took the slap and carried on like a pro, while Smith is being mercilessly reminded of his failed marriage on social media. There is a story — it’s just not an MMA one.

LFA fighter’s pre-fight medical exams detect brain aneurysms, will undergo surgery

In a shining example of why medicals are important, LFA featherweight Rafael Barbosa had brain aneurysms detected prior to a title challenge in mid-March. As a result, he was pulled from the LFA 126 card for precautionary reasons (read: he had brain aneurysms!), and will have further testing and surgery later in April.

Barbosa announced the news on social media; the full story from MMA Fighting is well worth a read.

The cost of pre-fight medicals is often a sore spot for fighters, who normally foot the bill. This is a reminder that such exams can save lives.

It’s not the first time pre-fight medicals have potentially averted tragedy. Ahead of UFC 129 in Toronto back in 2011, Brian Foster’s MRI revealed a brain hemorrhage. He was pulled from his planned bout with Sean Pierson, underwent surgery, and returned to competition, fully healthy, later that year.

Melvin Manhoef 3, Burglars 0

If you’re going to break into someone’s house, well, don’t. And if you absolutely, positively must break into someone’s house, make sure they’re not a professional fighter. Especially make sure they don’t have the striking skills of Melvin Manhoef. Oh, and make sure they aren’t actually Melvin Manhoef.

There’s dumb, and then there’s these three — who Manhoef chased down and detained for police. Technically, they didn’t even get to the breaking part of breaking and entering, let alone entering, but they were caught casing Melvin’s house, and fled the scene when he caught them in the act. Manhoef actually crashed his car into the suspect’s vehicle, and they allegedly had burglary tools on hand.

https://twitter.com/GS_Hollanda/status/1508482677267120147

Jon Jones Admits “Candle for Light Heavyweight Blew Out”

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is focused on a move to heavyweight, which may or may not come sometime this year.

However, he recently opened up about the end of his run at 205lbs, and admitted to his fight against Dominick Reyes being a “bad performance.”

“My candle for light heavyweight blew out, it showed in my last fight, instead of being discouraged by a bad performance, I’m stoked about this new season,” Jones wrote on social media this past week. “New energy. My time at LWH was over, I see that more clear today than ever.”

Jones’ (26-1, 1NC) last fight, against Reyes, came at UFC 247 in February 2020. Although the record shows it as a unanimous decision victory for Jones, many saw the fight in favor of Reyes. The bout followed another close win, a split decision victory against Thiago Santos.

More Fighter Pay Controversy

With Ohio being one of the rare athletic commissions to still publicly disclose purses, we got a look at exactly what each fighter on the UFC Columbus card made last week.

It wasn’t always a pretty picture.

First, the bright spots. Matt Brown made $105,000 in a losing effort against Bryan Barberena, and picked up an extra $50,000 by way of the Fight of the Night bonus. Add in his outfitting pay, and that’s okay money.

Neil Magny was able to pocket $230,000 ($115,000 to show, and that again for the win) for his decision victory against Max Griffin. Given how often Magny fights, he’s getting a decent bump thanks to outfitting pay on top of that.

But let’s be real: Askar Askarov getting $26,000 for what amounted to a title eliminator is pathetic.

Viachaslav Borshchev, Denis Tiulinin, and Bruno Souza all made just $12,000 in their first or second fights with the company. All three lost, so no win bonus there. Aliaskhab Khizriev made $20,000 — $10,000 to show, $10,000 to win. And Luis Saldana made $24,0000 at 12/12.

Those numbers are frankly sad to see, coming off a year which many saw as the promotion’s best ever. At least Curtis Blaydes had a good night, walking away with $312,000 (including a Performance bonus), without factoring in outfitting pay. But when you consider that Mark Hunt was making $950,000 as a heavyweight six years ago, and Blaydes was in the main event, you really have to wonder.

MMA Fighting has the numbers for the full card.

Bas Rutten Believes Dale Brown’s Methods Are Going to Get People Dusted

D.U.S.T. Commander Dale Brown became a viral sensation over the past year, and even turned up in the corner of UFC middleweight Joaquin Buckley. But the self-defense guru’s methods have been a constant point of contention, and the legendary Bas Rutten is among those critical of Brown — who he sees as the type of snake oil salesman who is going to get someone killed.

“The not real guy? With the black hair and ‘stache, that guy? Very funny… Guys like that get people killed, because they give them a false sense of security,” Rutten said during an appearance on The MMA Hour recently. “That’s why I don’t teach self defense in my classes.”

Suggesting that defending against a knife was “almost worse” than defending against a gun, Rutten explained that “imagine I just teach a knife defense and then a friend of a person I taught it to is getting in trouble. Someone pulls a knife and he goes, ‘Hey, step back, I got it. They just taught me this in class.’ And then he gets stabbed to death. That’s a problem.”

Beyond that, what works in a classroom may play out very differently under pressure in a life or death situation.

“It’s like fighting. It looks real easy and in the dojo, you’re really good and everything works, but that’s without stress,” Rutten noted. “How many fighters do we have that are dojo fighters. Every fighter you hear talks about this, they work circles around world champions and then under pressure they can’t perform. They can’t bring out what they can do without any pressure. And that’s just fighting, now imagine a weapon presents itself. Even I’m gonna go like, ‘Sh*t.’ There’s gonna be a lot of nerves and you better make everything perfect.”

Rutten might know a thing or two about the self-defense subject: he released his own video on it, Lethal Street Fighting, back in the early 2000s.

Amosov retrieves Bellator championship belt from rubble in Ukraine

Yaroslav Amosov is the reigning Bellator MMA welterweight champion. He’s also actively defending the European nation from invasion by neighbouring Russia. Prior to the bombs falling, Amosov’s mother apparently hid his championship belt — which he recovered in the video below.

No words.

🇺🇦 @YaroslavAmosov defending his country, but reminding everyone who the champ is. pic.twitter.com/lwWMkPR3fX

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) April 1, 2022

Bonnar and family lose home to fire, Go Fund Me established

A fire has destroyed Stephen Bonnar’s home in Henderson, Nevada, with a Go Fund Me campaign established to help the Bonnar family recover. The UFC Hall of Fame member and his wife have said they’ve essentially lost everything, although Bonnar was able to at least retrieve a couple of keepsakes. Still, small solace in the face of massive loss.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cbz2RHMFcTT/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=f9dc2b34-284f-4842-b2f1-95657788c1b1

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: Manhoef Nabs Would-Be Burglars, Jones Admits “Candle Blew Out” at 205 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Number nine ranked UFC lightweight Paul “The Irish Dragon” Felder announced his retirement on Saturday night during the UFC Vegas 27 broadcast.  A veteran of the UFC since 2014, Felder retires at 37 years old with a 9-6 record in the Octagon.  Felder has worked as an on-air commentator for several years and will continue to work at the desk for the UFC on ESPN.

Felder began his professional career fighting primarily for Cage Fury Fighting Championships in the Mid-Atlantic area of the United States.  After opening his career 8-0, Felder had was signed to the UFC where he fought the likes of Edson Barboza, Mike Perry, James Vick, and Dan Hooker.  Earning a performance bonus six times in his UFC career, he is best remembered for being an entertaining contender in the stacked lightweight division.  He is notably the last person to defeat current UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira, defeating him by second round TKO in 2017.

In 2020, Felder was on a two fight win-streak and fought Dan Hooker in an early Fight of the Year candidate in Hooker’s backyard of New Zealand.  Following the bout, Felder had discussed the possibility of retirement and that he would likely entertain only a high profile bout if he were to continue.  In November, Felder stepped in on five days notice against former champion Rafael dos Anjos.  Despite the little time to prepare, he went the distance in the bout.

Felder has been praised for his work as a color commentator for the UFC, having worked at the desk for several years.  He also made headlines last summer, leaving the commentator’s desk to corner friend and teammate Jared Gordon who was left without a corner due to his team testing positive for COVID-19.  Felder left the desk to corner Gordon and returned following the fight to continue his duties as a commentator for the rest of the broadcast.

The post UFC Lightweight Paul Felder Announces Retirement from Competition appeared first on Cageside Press.

The first two of those suspensions in the night came courtesy of knee injuries. In the opening bout of the evening Roque Williams dropped a decision to Don’Tale Mayes and took some damage to his left knee in the process. Later on during the prelims, Alex Morono picked up a win over a very tough Rhys McKee. In doing so, he saw his right knee take a hit. Both will need MRI’s and will face 180 days off if those don’t come back clean.

Later on in the night, Cory McKenna picked up an unanimous decision victory over Kay Hansen. However, she left with an apparent ankle injury that saw her being carried out of the cage. That will need to be cleared by the orthopedic doctor or she too will be on the shelf until May.

Lastly, Paul Felder joins the long layoff group with damage to his elbow. It wasn’t immediately clear if the damage was structural or ligament based, so he’ll need to be cleared by either an MRI or an x-ray.

Complete list of UFC Vegas 14 medical suspensions:

Rafael dos Anjos – 30 days
Paul Felder – 180 days or unless cleared by x-ray or MRI of right elbow.
Abdul Razak Alhassan – 60 days
Ashley Yoder – 21 days
Sean Strickland – 30 days
Brenden Allen – 45 days
Cory McKenna – 180 days or unless left ankle is cleared by orthopedic doctor.
Kay Hansen – 21 days
Kanako Murata – 21 days
Randa Markos – 60 days
Tony Gravely – 30 days
Geraldo de Freitas – 30 days
Alex Morono – 180 days or until cleared by MRI of right knee.
Rhys McKee – 45 days
Don’Tale Mayes – 30 days
Roque Martinez – 180 days or until cleared by MRI of left knee.

Suspensions originally reported by Kirik Jenness.

The post UFC Vegas 14 Medical Suspensions: Bad Night for Knees appeared first on Cageside Press.

Paul Felder

This loss to RDA puts Felder on a two-fight skid. Felder is one of the most exciting fighters in the lightweight division and should be looking to get back into the win column soon. Felder could possibly look at Islam Makhachev for his next fight. Makhachev was supposed to fight RDA this past weekend but was forced to withdraw from the fight. When Makhachev is ready he should be fighting a top ten fighter and that fighter should be Felder, given RDA is likely to move on to other things.

Felder’s next fight: Islam Makhachev 

Abdul Razak Alhassan

Abdul Razak Alhassan was knocked out cold this past Saturday by Khaos Williams. It was truly a shock knockout and Alhassan even had some bright spots in the fight before being knocked out. Alhassan is now 0-2 since returning after his two-year layoff. He should still be looked at as a promising prospect though. He is currently 10-3 with all ten of his wins by knockout. Alhassan has also missed weight in his last two fights which could play some role in the outcome of those fights. Some have called for him to move to middleweight, but standing at 5’10” he would probably be severely undersized at 185lbs.

If he does manage to get his weight cut under control, Max Griffin would be a perfect next fight for him. Griffin is known for his counter striking. He finished Ramiz Brahimaj just two weeks ago via doctor stoppage. A stoppage that came after Griffin picked away at him for three rounds. A striking match between Alhassan and Griffin would be great to see regardless of the outcome.

Alhassan’s next fight: Max Griffin 

Ashley Yoder

Ashley Yoder was able to win a unanimous decision over Miranda Granger at UFC Vegas 14. She should be looking to make her move into the top 15 by fighting the loser of Virna Jandiroba versus Mackenzie Dern in her next fight. Both Jandiroba and Dern have amazing jiu-jitsu and are ranked toward the back half of the top 15. Yoder has a brown belt in Jiu-Jitsu so it would be great to see her challenge Jandiroba or even have a rematch with Dern. Yoder originally lost to Dern via split decision at UFC 222 in 2018.

Yoder’s next fight: Loser of Dern-Jandiroba 

Brendan Allen

Brendan Allen was knocked out in the second round at UFC Vegas 14 by Sean Strickland. This is Allen’s only loss of his UFC career, with prior wins over Kevin Holland, Tom Breese, and Kyle Daukaus. Allen was climbing his way into the top 15 before this loss. So it is likely that he tries to get a quick turn around to get that bad taste out of his mouth. Joaquin Buckley will be fighting this weekend against Jordan Wright. Buckley is 11-3 while Wright is 11-0. Either man makes for a great challenge to Allen. Buckley is coming off a knockout of the year candidate so he has hype surrounding him already. If Wright beats Buckley he will likely steal his hype. Either way, the winner of this fight makes for a great opportunity for Allen who is coming off a loss.

Allen’s next fight: Winner of Buckley-Wright

Kay Hansen

Kay Hansen lost a decision to Cory Mckenna this past weekend. Both women combine for the youngest female duo to fight in the UFC, both being 21 years old. Hansen has finished six of her seven career wins and has never been submitted. Loma Lookboonmee is a great striker who is coming off a decision win over Jinh Yu Frey. Frey is also Hansen’s last win. Lookboonmee would be a great stylistic matchup for Hansen. Lookboonmee is a great striker but has zero wins by submission. One of her two losses also come by submission. While Hansen did lose to Cory McKenna, who would also be an interesting match for the Thai fighter, there’s an argument to have Hansen get at least a sideways move, as she looked very good even in the loss at UFC Vegas 14.

Hansen’s next fight: Loma Lookboonmee

The post What’s Next: UFC Vegas 14 Losers appeared first on Cageside Press.

A little less than a year ago, “The Irish Dragon” Felder seemed ready to give up on the sport. But after battling to a hard-fought, bloody split decision against dos Anjos, in the latter’s first lightweight appearance in years, Felder proved that he still has what it takes to hang with the best in the division.

dos Anjos, meanwhile, executed a smart game plan, keeping Felder tied up along the fence and winning the clinch battles more often than not. In doing so, he proved he’s still a force to be reckoned with at 155lbs.

Both proved worthy of an extra $50,000 by way of the Fight of the Night bonus.

Performance of the Night bonuses, meanwhile, were awarded to Sean Strickland, for a second-round TKO of Brendan Allen, and Khaos Williams, who made short work of Abdul Razak Alhassan in the co-main event.

After sitting out two years due to injury, Strickland now has two wins in a matter of weeks. Not a bad haul at all for the middleweight, who admitted that money motivated him to accept the short-notice, 195lb catchweight fight. Williams, for his part, took all of 30 seconds to score his second straight knockout inside the octagon.

All four men take home an extra $50,000 USD.

The post UFC Vegas 14 Bonuses: RDA and Felder Rewarded for Main Event War appeared first on Cageside Press.

If we’re being honest, it seemed that once this fight was announced, many fans were more excited for Felder vs. Dos Anjos than the card’s original headliner, which saw RDA paired up with Islam Makhachev. And when it came fight time, the two popular lightweights gave everything they had inside the octagon, each man connecting with back-and-forth exchanges.

Dos Anjos got ahead on the judges’ score cards by controlling the clinch against the cage, which put him in position to get well-timed takedowns on Felder. Paul Felder, meanwhile, was durable and had no quit, always getting out of the dangerous positions he was put in. In the end, Dos Anjos’ control against the cage was too much for Felder and was the perfect game plan, earning him a split decision victory.

Check out how the pros reacted to Rafael dos Anjos’ victory at UFC Vegas 14 below.

The Perfect Fight

Great fight by @RdosAnjosMMA he fought the perfect fight, big ups to my main man Paul Felder for taking this fight under these circumstances. @felderpaul this is why you’re loved my man.

— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) November 15, 2020

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT #UFCVegas14 @RdosAnjosMMA @felderpaul 💥

— Joanna Jedrzejczyk (@joannamma) November 15, 2020

This will be FOTN #UFCVegas14

— Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) November 15, 2020

There Goes My Hero

Paul felder is my hero

— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) November 15, 2020

Congrats to @felderpaul and @RdosAnjosMMA for the FOTN performances at #UFCVegas14 massive respect!

— Herbert Burns (@HerbertBurnsMMA) November 15, 2020

Good fight between Dos Anjos and Felder to close the show ! #UFCVegas14

— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) November 15, 2020

Respect from the entire MMA world gentlemen!! 🙌🏼@felderpaul @RdosAnjosMMA #UFCVegas14

— Alan Jouban (@AlanJouban) November 15, 2020

Awesome fight, always bittersweet when you have 2 really good guys and amazing fighters but I loved RDA’s reign as a champion and wouldn’t mind seeing it again. Feel like Felder earned himself a rematch if that happens as well. #UFCVegas14

— Angela Hill (@AngieOverkill) November 15, 2020

All RDA. But still,, Felder is so inspiring fighting the way he fought. Congratulations to the both of them #UFCVegas14

— Vince Morales (@vandetta135) November 15, 2020

Where Can We Get a Pair?

Superman wears @felderpaul pajamas to bed #UFCVegas14

— Randy Costa (@RandyCosta135) November 15, 2020

The post Pros React to Rafael dos Anjos’ Victory in Lightweight Return at UFC Vegas 14 appeared first on Cageside Press.

The short-notice main event of UFC Vegas 14 was between Paul Felder and former UFC champion Rafael dos Anjos. Felder had semi-retired after his last fight, a loss to Dan Hooker, but took this fight on short-notice while training for a triathlon. After losing in four of his last five against top welterweight competition, dos Anjos was returning to lightweight for this one.

Felder took the center of the cage quickly and landed a leg kick. RDA went to a teep, then ate a pair of leg kicks. Felder was throwing heavy leather early and dos Anjos gave him something to think about by briefly touching his leg. RDA went for a body kick and Felder answered with a spinning elbow that cut dos Anjos. RDA worked for a takedown and brought Felder down. After some time, Felder stood up and broke out of a head-and-arm choke, then landed a strong uppercut. A pair of right hands landed for Felder and dos Anjos answered with a straight left. Felder shot for a takedown, but RDA sprawled it against the cage, leading to an RDA-favored clinch. A cracking left hook landed for dos Anjos right before the end of the round.

RDA started the second round with strong kicks to the body. Felder landed a combination as dos Anjos pushed forward for a takedown that he didn’t complete. An elbow for Felder was followed by a hefty leg kick and another elbow. The straight left connected for dos Anjos, who then shot in for a takedown. Felder landed a big knee and resisted a takedown. RDA hit a strong body kick and another straight left, then a double-jab left-straight combo. Felder fired back with a combination that backed RDA up. A head kick landed for dos Anjos then a ripping right hook to the body. He then shot for a takedown and got Felder down this time. Felder stood up, but RDA stuck to him like glue. Eventually, RDA let go and landed a strong left straight to close out the round.

Felder started with a head kick and RDA countered with a body kick and another takedown attempt against the cage. Felder stayed on his feet, then he initiated a clinch. He was able to land a strong elbow on the exit, but RDA came right back in and took him down. Felder worked his way up and prevented RDA from taking his back with a well-placed overhook. They broke apart and began exchanging again. RDA threw a flying knee into a takedown attempt, then slammed Felder down, ending the round in half guard.

Felder started the fourth with a flying knee. A one-two landed cleanly for Felder, who was rejuvenated to start the round. Felder fought off a takedown attempt and continued to throw leather. RDA connected with a body kick and started letting his hands go. Felder fought off a clinch then dos Anjos shot in hard for a double-leg and was held up by the cage. RDA continued to try for takedowns, but Felder stayed on his feet and eventually spun him around, exiting the clinch. A crisp jab landed for RDA and Felder started unloading. Out of nowhere, Felder hit a perfect double-leg takedown. RDA scooted to the fence and reversed position to land ground-and-pound at the end of the round.

Felder landed some jabs to start the fifth and thwarted a takedown. However, dos Anjos refused to give him space, shooting in twice more and taking Felder down into half guard. RDA was going for the arm-triangle but Felder broke free. He then scrambled, allowing RDA to establish north-south. Felder squirmed his way up, but dos Anjos stayed on his hips. He scored his final takedown with 10 seconds left to close things out.

Rafael dos Anjos def. Paul Felder by Split Decision (50-45 x2, 47-48)

The post UFC Vegas 14 Results: Rafael dos Anjos Controls Resilient Paul Felder appeared first on Cageside Press.

RDA doesn't need long 🇧🇷

Will the former champ get it done tomorrow night? #UFCVegas14 pic.twitter.com/MPhjG8rkdV

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2020

Rafael dos Anjos may appreciate the feel good story of Paul Felder’s willingness to step in on short notice, but that doesn’t mean he’s looking to do him any favors when the cage door closes for the UFC Vegas 14 main event.  Previously a lightweight champion who put together a 10-1 run in the UFC at the height of his powers, “RDA” is looking to snap a two fight skid at welterweight going into Saturday’s contest.  After coming up short in a bid for the interim welterweight title, dos Anjos struggled to return to form as he’s dropped four of his last five dating back to 2018.  His job figures to be safe as UFC President Dana White frequently praises him for his skill-level and consistency, but it does not change the fact that a third loss in a row could see him fall to the bottom of the rankings if not out of them altogether.

As Dana White has frequently said, dos Anjos is a fighter on the roster whom he uses as a litmus test to see if a fighter is ready for the next level.  Indeed, several fighters have used victories over the former champion to springboard into title contention including Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Tony Ferguson, and Leon Edwards.  Looking at his resume, it is difficult to find a fighter who has had a more difficult schedule over the last several years.  He has proven his ability to continue competing with the best, and this move back to lightweight could be the shot he needs to rejuvenate his chances at getting back to the top of a division again.

When the 🌍 learned about @FelderPaul!

The Irish 🐉 is ready to add a chapter to the story tonight on #ESPNPlus pic.twitter.com/msw7vmYVAZ

— UFC (@ufc) November 14, 2020

The end of the year awards don’t give out trophies for being a company man, but if they did it would unanimously go to “The Irish Dragon” Paul Felder.  To begin, he was in one of the most entertaining fights of the year against Dan Hooker in New Zealand in February.  His odyssey over the summer to reach Fight Island has been well-chronicled in the UFC Fight Island: Declassified documentary as he overcame a positive test for COVID-19 to arrive in Abu Dhabi in time to not only commentate but also step away from the desk temporarily to corner his teammate Jared Gordon.  The icing on the cake: he is stepping into Saturday’s main event and agreed to not only make the limit of 155 pounds but also compete for the full 25 minutes if needed.  All of this when he was only expected to sit at the desk and call the fights as recently as Sunday.

While gamesmanship is not an issue for Felder, the sheer timing is expected to be.  While he is in great physical condition to agree to the terms, ring rust and timing are all real issues if he has not been in the gym preparing for a live opponent in months.  It should be noted, he had said after his fight with Hooker that he considered retirement and later said he would only consider competing in fights that interested him.  There has been no indication that one of those fights was on the horizon and thus there is reason to expect he may not have been doing large amounts of MMA training recently.

Stylistically, dos Anjos fights with a very conventional stance with a tight guard which he goes back to before every exchange while Felder’s striking is more fluid.  “RDA” should look to do damage early with leg-kicks and forward pressure to put immediate stress on Felder’s gas tank.  Felder should look to keep more distance and pick his spots to engage and disrupt the timing of the former champion.  The grappling of Dos Anjos figures to be the x-factor as the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt figures to have a strong advantage if he can get on top of Felder.

In a last-minute twist of fate, who will come out on top? 👀

💢 @FelderPaul faces @RDosAnjosMMA tomorrow night.

[ #UFCVegas14 – LIVE on #ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/xOpvFUiCzS

— UFC (@ufc) November 13, 2020

Felder has stated that he is “50/50” on whether he fights again regardless of the outcome on Saturday, but it is expected he will not compete again unless he were to face a big name opponent such as Tony Ferguson, Justin Gaethje, or one of the other top lightweights.  A victory for dos Anjos would inject much needed momentum and likely set up a clash with another member of the top ten.

The post UFC Vegas 14: Dos Anjos Looks to Spoil Felder’s Return appeared first on Cageside Press.

Felder was no doubt hoping to turn an upset win into a big top five opportunity, something he had long sought after. He said as much during the event’s media day on Thursday. dos Anjos, meanwhile, was looking to make a statement in his return to the weight class he once ruled, after spending the past several years as a welterweight.

All eyes would be on the scale Friday, as Felder and dos Anjos both had an important cut to 155lbs.

Check back starting at 12PM ET for updates from the UFC Vegas 14 official weigh-in in Las Vegas.

While Felder and dos Anjos both made weight Friday, three fighters missed the mark. Eryk Anders, Abdul Razak Alhassan, and Eryk Anders all missed the mark. Meanwhile, the middleweight bout between Julian Marquez and Saparbek Safarov well pulled from the card after Safarov encountered weight cutting difficulties.

UFC Vegas 14: Felder vs. dos Anjos Weigh-In Results

Main Card

Lightweight: Paul Felder (155.75) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (156)
Welterweight: Abdul Razak Alhassan (172.5)** vs. Khaos Williams (170)
Middleweight: Julian Marquez vs. Saparbek Safarov
Middleweight: Eryk Anders (187.5)* vs. Antônio Arroyo (185.5)
Catchweight (195lb): Brendan Allen (193.5) vs. Sean Strickland (194.5)

Preliminary card

Women’s Strawweight: Kay Hansen (115.5) vs. Cory McKenna (116)
Women’s Strawweight: Ashley Yoder (115.5) vs. Miranda Granger (115.5)
Welterweight: Alex Morono (170.5) vs. Rhys McKee (170.5)
Bantamweight: José Alberto Quiñónez (135) vs. Louis Smolka (139)***
Women’s Strawweight: Randa Markos (116) vs. Kanako Murata (115)
Bantamweight: Geraldo de Freitas (136) vs. Tony Gravely (135.5)
Heavyweight: Don’Tale Mayes (262) vs. Roque Martinez (244)

* Anders misses weight by 1.5lbs

** Alhassan misses weight by 1.5lbs

*** Smolka misses weight by 3lbs

The post UFC Vegas 14: Felder vs. dos Anjos Weigh-In Results appeared first on Cageside Press.