Paul Felder reveals 'the biggest regret' of his UFC career
Paul Felder retired from fighting as the No.7-ranked lightweight in the UFC. 'The Irish Dragon' didn't get the opportunity to fight for a UFC title during his run in the company. However, this not the biggest regret of his career - not leading a healthier lifestyle is.
While speaking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani in a recent interview, Paul Felder said that not living a healthier lifestyle all year long is the biggest regret of his UFC career. Felder, who fought in the UFC's 155-lbs division, revealed that he weighed close to 200-lbs when he wasn't in a fight camp.
Now training for a Half IronMan, the 37-year-old follows a much healthier lifestyle than he did in the twenties. Felder wishes he did the same earlier. While alluding to how massive weight cuts compromised his performances in his prime, Paul Felder stated that he would have been a much better different fighter had he been more disciplined.
"To all those young fighters out there, my god, please, I know it seems cool to be so big in your weight class; it's not worth it in the long run. You're just messing with your metabolism, you're messing with your body, you're gonna make things more difficult," said Felder.
"You're gonna end up moving up a weight class that you probably don't have to move up to. But since you weren't disciplined enough early on, you screwed yourself up. That's my big regret, not living a cleaner, healthier lifestyle all year round," added Paul Felder.
Paul Felder is the last fighter to defeat Charles Oliveira in the UFC
Paul Felder never fought for the UFC title during his career. However, the 37-year-old has competed against some of the best fighters in the UFC's lightweight division. Felder is also the last fighter to hand Charles Oliveira a loss in the UFC.
Oliveira, though, was not considered among the elite fighters in the division at the time. Felder's win over Do Bronx went largely unnoticed until Charles Oliveira became the undisputed UFC lightweight champion at UFC 262.
While reflecting on his win against Oliveira, Paul Felder state that the victory did not feel like a big deal at a time. However, it has now aged into one of the greatest highlights of his career.
"It's crazy that the Charles Oliveira fight isn't really one of the biggest highlights of my career. Because, at the time, that was the fight I expected to win. I think I might have been the favorite or slight underdog in that fight. But now look at him, my god! The win has aged like the finest of wines," said Paul Felder.