“Hope This Ain’t the End”- Paul Felder’s Terrible Health Update Leaves UFC Star Heartbroken Over Accomplishing His Passion for Triathlons

Injuries are a part of any athlete’s life. Some, such as Dominick Cruz, Cain Velasquez, and TJ Dillashaw, have had their once-promising careers derailed due to injuries. Others are luckier. Michael Bisping was able to beat Luke Rockhold for the middleweight title with one eye. Similarly, Conor McGregor came back after his injury against Max Holloway in 2013 and came back to win his next five fights via first or second-round KO/TKO.

But not all injuries are created equal. Most are able to recover, but some are not. And former UFC lightweight and current commentator Paul Felder has come out with a worrying update on his health that may end his burgeoning triathlon career.

Paul Felder tells fans about serious health concerns

In a post on his official Instagram account, Paul Felder wrote a heartfelt account of his injury. ‘The Irish Dragon’ told fans that he has been dealing with hip issues for some time now. This week, after a run and cycling session, he felt severe discomfort in his hips and had an MRI done on his doctor’s advice. It turns out that he has lost all soft tissues on his hip joint. His bone is grinding against bone, causing the aforementioned severe discomfort.

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“Some bad news this week. Anyone close to me knows that I’ve had some hip issues for years. I have been kicking/doing martial arts since I was a 12 year old boy and all of that kicking and rotating has taken a big toll. After a hard bike and run this week I woke up in some serious discomfort, had livery little range of motion in my right hip. I reached out to Heather and Dr D with the ufc to help set up an mri (finally) long story short…I have the hips of an 80 year old man. I have no soft tissue left and am grinding bone on bone. I don’t know what’s next! I have to speak with some specialists and find out. I am pretty sure my season of racing is over. I just truly hope this ain’t the end. For now time to focus on family time and work!” Felder wrote.

He was upset that he would not be able to compete in triathlons for the time being and was uncertain about the future of his athletic endeavors. The Philly native was hopeful that he would be able to compete again and will be focusing on his family and work at the UFC for the time being.

Paul Felder retired while still ranked in the top ten of his division

Felder announced his retirement in May 2021 during a UFC broadcast. Even before retiring, he had indicated his wish to hang up his gloves in his second-last fight against Dan Hooker at UFC Fight Night 168. An emotional Felder said, “this might be it for me” after the split decision loss. But he returned to the Octagon to face Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 182 nine months later. This loss would be his final fight before he retired.

Felder is a staple of the UFC commentary team and retired at an opportune time at 37 years old when he was still ranked in the top 10 of the lightweight division. Fans were concerned to see the commentator in such bad shape and came out with messages of support for him. The MMA world is united in wishing ‘The Irish Dragon’ a quick recovery and success in his future endeavors.

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