UFC News: Paul Felder reveals whom he wants to fight next
Paul Felder is riding high on a two-fight win streak in the UFC Lightweight division. Being #6 in the most stacked weight class in the MMA world is not easy by any stretch of the imagination, and with so much happening at 155 pounds, the doors are open for whom Paul Felder wants to fight next.
He's coming off an incredible split decision victory over Edson Barboza, earning back the victory four years after losing to the Brazillian. Felder was the first to offer Barboza a trilogy match, with the only condition being that they main event a Fight Night.
That certainly makes sense, but Felder also knows that there are opponents ranked higher than him who he wants to face to advance his ranking. Talking to MMA Junkie, Felder said:
“Obviously (Dustin) Poirier or (Justin) Gaethje or Conor (McGregor) or any of these guys ranked above me – I’ll take any of them, as well. I’m kind of open for what (UFC matchmaker) Sean (Shelby) has to suggest right now and we’ll sit back. (I’ll) kind of be up for a new contract soon, too – so a lot of things to talk about and get moving."
He called Justin Gaethje one of the biggest challenges at 155 right now, saying that he's "as tough as they come". He said the same about Tony Ferguson but understands that he has business to take care of with Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
He stated that Gaethje and Poirier are tempting match-ups because they're ranked higher than him, but he isn't against the idea of fighting someone ranked below, depending on what the fight is.
“I don’t want to be one of those guys always fighting up, then complaining about those guys not wanting to fight down. It’s got to go both ways. So I’m taking everybody into consideration right now. We’ll see, but I’m trying to make that run to the top, man, because I’m not getting any younger.”
Would you like to see Felder fight a higher-ranked opponent or lower?
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