Paul Felder withdraws from retirement, re-enters USADA pool after hinting about UFC comeback
It appears as though Paul Felder is committed to his UFC comeback as he recently withdrew from his retirement and re-entered the USADA testing pool.
According to MMA Junkie's Damon Martin, the UFC commentator has already been tested, as a recent update has indicated that he has provided a sample. Martin mentioned that he is back in the USADA pool and will undergo 6-months of testing before being eligible to return to the octagon, which is a similar situation as former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor.
He wrote:
"Paul Felder officially back in the UFC anti-doping program with his first test showing up from USADA...Just like Conor McGregor, he'll have to undergo 6 months of testing before he's cleared but he's officially back in the testing pool. #UFC"
It's important to note that despite 'The Irish Dragon' re-entering the USADA testing pool, he won't have to wait 6 months as the UFC will be ending their relationship with the anti-doping agency beginning January 1st, 2024. With that in mind, the UFC fighter-turned-commentator could possibly even return to the octagon sooner.
It will be interesting to see who Paul Felder fights in his return and likely retirement bout, as he has indicated that he wants to end his career by competing in front of an electric atmosphere rather than the UFC Apex.
When did Paul Felder last compete?
It has been quite some time since Paul Felder competed in the octagon, as it will be close to 4 years if he eventually returns to competition.
'The Irish Dragon' last competed at UFC Vegas 14, where he fought former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos on short notice after Islam Makhachev was forced to withdraw from the event. 'RDA' earned a split decision after a resilient display by the short notice replacement. As a result of the entertaining bout, both fighters were awarded a post-fight bonus for Fight of the Night.
The loss extended 'The Irish Dragon's losing skid to two consecutive losses, and he later announced his retirement on the UFC Vegas 27 broadcast six months later.