Philly-area fighter headlining UFC Fight Night
It’s not easy to be fighting the same night as a world heavyweight championship boxing match. Maybe being on the other side of the world will help.
Paul Felder has a chance to turn some heads while fans are waiting for Wilder-Fury II to commence. He’s headlining UFC Fight Night in New Zealand, taking on local Dan Hooker at lightweight.
Philadelphia has a storied history of fighters, mostly boxers. Felder, entering at 17-4, has a chance to become to the local octagon what legends like Joe Frazier and Bernard Hopkins are to the squared circle.
Like many coming from the City of Brotherly Love, Felder has a fascinating story. He grew up in South Philly and took martial arts. He went to high school in Delaware County (same school where my cousins went, Ridley High, REAL DelCo). He went to the University of the Arts and became a stage actor.
Yeah, he’s an actor. Apparently a darn good one too.
Soon after he finished his studies, he took a shot at MMA and got hooked. He trained in Muay Thai, went to the Junior Olympics for Tae Kwon Do, and also has earned belts in Shotokan and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He wants to get back into acting after he retires from fighting.
In the mean time, he presents an interesting challenge to the more experienced Hooker, who enters with a 20-8 record. Felder has 10 KOs and one submission in his career and has only been stopped once. Nine times he’s gone the distance and he’s 6-3 in those decisions. Three times he’s earned distinction bonuses for his bouts, winning all of them.
Felder fights with his feet, fists, and elbows. Geez, that’s DelCo in a nutshell.
- Entering the night, Felder is the underdog in a closely priced match.
- He’s getting around +125 at most books so he might be a good value bet tonight.
- He’s coming off a loss in the fall and just re-upped for a new contract with UFC.
Might be time to get to know Paul Felder.
