Paul Felder stepped up on five days’ notice to take on former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 183. Felder put on a tremendous effort as he went full five rounds with the former champion. He fell short after losing a split decision, but his efforts were nothing short of heroic.

In his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping, “The Irish Dragon” opened up on his training for the fight and how difficult the weight cut was for him. He had to cut 22 pounds in four days, which is as difficult as it gets.

Paul Felder talks about his weight cut

“Coming here and cutting over 22 pounds In 4 days, Thursday night was probably one of the darkest nights of my life, cutting that weight. But I said I was gonna be the first one on the scale, I was the first one on that scale,” said Felder on his weight cut.

Felder was not in a training camp and was preparing for a triathlon. According to him, he hasn’t been in an MMA gym for over four months. He was actually part of the commentary team for the UFC event.

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“ I was in striking shape, I was in really good cardio shape for the triathlon, but I had to grapple. I have not stepped foot in an MMA gym in almost four months.”

Although his efforts fell short as his Dos Anjos got the win on his return to lightweight, it was a valiant effort on Felder’s part.

“ I know how talented Rafael Dos Anjos is, I know what I was in for, and this is exactly what I wanted and to get a split decision over this guy, and hopefully we might have got fight of the night, So I just hope the UFC is proud of me and happy.”

Felder on his fighting future

There were suggestions that Felder might announce retirement from the sport if he falls short, but seems like that will not be the case soon.

“I said I was gonna give hell to a former world champion and go five rounds if I had to and we just had a five-round battle, and I can tell you guys with certainty I am not going anywhere right now. I can tell you I’m not done, I might lose my ranking a little bit. None of that matters.”

He also had some word of advice for his fellow fighters on missing weight.

“For the guys that missed weight, get your stuff together, hire a nutritionist, get on the scale, make weight, and perform.”

The main event was a great spectacle for fight fans as it was a five-round war between the two lightweights. Although Felder led the striking stats, Dos Anjos controlled him on the ground and the clinch for a considerable amount of time. The former UFC lightweight champion walked away with a split decision win, although arguably Dos Anjos should have won a unanimous decision.

RDA was actually scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev, but the latter had to pull out due to injury. With the main event in danger of falling, the UFC needed a savior. Felder put on a heroic effort to save the day for his company.

Who’s next for RDA and Felder?

Dos Anjos, being a former champion, is looking for only big challenges ahead. Specifically, He has Conor McGregor on his radar. He was scheduled to fight “The Notorious” at UFC 196 as his lightweight title defense in the famous “red panty night”. But an injury to the then champion prevented the bout from happening.

As for Felder, he is bound to get a top contender as his next opponent after his heroics to save the day for the UFC.

Who should Felder and RDA fight next? Let us know.