During the UFC Vegas 27 broadcast over the weekend, Paul Felder announced his retirement from MMA competition. This has left fellow fighter-turned-commentator Daniel Cormier offering his respects to the now former lightweight.
Cormier has worked the booth with Felder, and worked the booth during some of Paul’s fights. He, like the rest of us, saw the insane levels of strength and determination that the Irish Dragon has displayed over the years.
Win or lose, you knew that any time Paul was on the marquee it was going to be a war. You can look at the bouts he had with Dan Hooker, and Edson Barboza, or when he stepped up on short notice to fight Rafael Dos Anjos as a few examples.
Daniel Cormier Praises Paul Felder In Retirement
Over the weekend, Paul Felder made the announcement that he would no longer be competing in the UFC. This left the MMA community showering him with praise, and former champ-champ Daniel Cormier decided to join in on this.
Speaking in a recent edition of the DC and Helwani show, Daniel showed a ton of respect for Felder, and what he has done in the sport. He also explained that he understood where Paul was coming from in his decision.
“Listen, Paul Felder was never afraid of anyone. Paul Felder will fight anybody. We’ve seen it on a number of occasions,” Cormier said.
“We know who Paul Felder is, but when you lose that fire to compete, especially when you’re a guy like Paul, a guy who is a blood and guts warrior, when you lose that desire, that fire to be in there and go through the types of fights he’s been through… how do you wrap your mind around the damage you take if you don’t love doing it anymore?
“It’s easy to do when you love it. You come home with the buses, and you go ‘You know what, I’m going to recover and I’m going to go do this again because I love it.’ but when it’s gone, it’s gone,” Cormier continued.
“A guy in Paul Felder, who has a fantastic broadcast career that’s waiting for him, he’s got acting opportunities, he has so many opportunities. The UFC is changing in a way that now, as an athlete you can walk away earlier and still find a lot of opportunities, and Paul Felder is a type of guy who will take full advantage of those kinds of things.”
Daniel Cormier concludes by saying that he thinks Paul Felder made the right decision, for his own legacy within the sport. At the end of the day though, DC congratulated Paul on a career that is worth being proud of.
