- Paul Felder expressed his desire to end inactivity and face Jim Miller
- “The Irish Dragon” believes the fight should be added to UFC 300
Paul Felder is willing to step inside the Octagon against Jim Miller, preferably at UFC 300.
Jim wants Paul
Felder’s interest in making a UFC return came on the heels of Miller’s callout following his submission win over Gabriel Benitez at UFC Vegas 84. According to “The Irish Dragon,” he was first inspired by Korean Zombie but he already envisioned himself taking on a fighter like Miller in his comeback.
Felder added that he and “A-10” have already made some sort of an x-deal in which Miller demanded that Paul helps him land a post-UFC career job in exchange for their fight.
“When I saw Korean Zombie have that walkout and I got inspired to potentially get back into the pool and do all this sort of stuff, anybody who knows me or talked to me, you knew Jim was the name. I was like, ‘If I’m going to do it, I want it to be against a guy like Jim, somebody around my age, who’s been in the game for a long time.’ I’m not trying to come back and make a run for the belt or anything like that,” Felder told reporters at his UFC Vegas 84 post-fight presser.
“When we talked to Jim in the fighter meetings, obviously, the people around me are kind of egging it on and pushing me. I was like, ‘If you call me out, Jim, it’s something I’d be interested in doing.’ He’s like, ‘If you get me a job sitting next to you on the desk, we’ll make it a deal.’ I think they’ll be calling him for at least an audition coming up soon. When he said that, it’s like, f*ck, now he’s setting me up with all the things I said, ‘If he does this, if this happens, then I’d be interested in doing it.’ I’ve just got to get back in the gym and see how things feel,” he added.
A bout perfect for UFC 300
Like Miller, Felder also believes that there is no better way to pull their fight off than having it included in the much-awaited UFC 300 event.
“It’s so tough and so tempting and I’m leaning towards wanting to do it,” Felder admitted. “Because it’s Jim – as he wants to be called at UFC 300, ‘Jim F**king Miller.’ He’s awesome. He fights awesome – especially I get to see that fight right in front of my eyes. It’s a leg kick battle. It’s a standup battle, primarily. Obviously, he finished (Benitez) on the ground, as Jim can do. But if it’s going to be a fight like that, I think the fans are going to eat it up – because I’m not shooting any takedowns in there, especially against Jim. I’m not putting my neck out on the line like that. It would definitely be a fun fight. It would probably be the first fight of the freaking night, to be honest with you, the way these cards stack up.”
Jim wants either Matt or Paul
Miller also explained to reporters in his post-fight presser why he believes a fight with either Matt Brown or Felder makes sense. For A-10, a showdown with “The Immortal,” who has the most finishes at welterweight, would be special now that he holds the record for most wins in UFC history.
“Paul and I almost fought in 2015,” Miller explained. “I think that fight would be brutal. I think that is a brutal fight, me and him locked in a cage for 15 minutes.”
“I also think that Matt Brown fight is amazing as well. I think it’s awesome because one, I don’t have to cut weight. Two, he’s the guy with the most finishes at welterweight, I’m the guy with the most finishes at lightweight. That’s a fight for [UFC] 300. Let’s put on a show, let’s go out and entertain. I’m willing to move up in weight for that type of event,” he added.
Jim Miller favors Matt Brown over Paul Felder as his #UFC300 opponent.
"I want to put on an epic show with two badass dudes who have been around for a bit, and I think Matt might be that guy." pic.twitter.com/2p64CdHJTv
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 14, 2024
As it stands, Miller is still active at 40 years old. On the other hand, Felder has not fought professionally since 2020. Miller is coming off back-to-back wins, while “The Irish Dragon” experienced the complete opposite, having lost to Rafael Dos Anjos and Dan Hooker in his last two trips inside the Octagon.
Brown, meanwhile is 43 but is coming off a first-round KO win over Court McGee at UFC on ABC 4.
Check out Felder’s full presser below:
