VIDEO: Paul Felder Gets Emotional as He Opens Up on His Father

Paul Felder is a warrior exemplified in every sense. ‘The Irish Dragon’ is stepping inside the Octagon on short notice to fight the former lightweight champ Rafael dos Anjos.

Taking a fight that will headline a UFC event on such short notice comes with its own set of perils. However, Felder has fought much bigger battles in his life.

Apart from being an exciting UFC lightweight, Felder also dons the hat of the UFC color commentator. Felder feels privileged to be in the position that he is right now.

However, in the journey along the way, he has also endured a personal loss. Felder lost his father due to pancreatic cancer back in 2017.

In the lead up to the fight with Dos Anjos, Felder remembered his late father and his struggle with cancer. An emotional Felder tried very hard to hold back his tears.

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“He passed away right when I took off. So he didn’t get to see the main events. He didn’t get to see me as a commentator; the way I was.

“This all happened right after the Stevie Ray fight. I got Contender Series, then I got to color commentator,” Felder said (via @suckerpunchent on Instagram).

“You push it down for so long, and you forget about it. This fight and this month, you know, coming back, I felt that I was getting a bit ungrateful. He didn’t get to see this.

“I think he would tell me to retire, which is the funny part because he got so nervous when I fought. Even worse than my mom, probably.”

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Paul Felder explains what excites him about the fight game

Felder has seen several ups and downs in his fighting career. While he has notched wins over some notable names, he has also been a part of a few rather close losses. Irrespective of the outcome, a Paul Felder fight is never a dull affair.

While talking about his late father, Felder choked up a few times, fighting to hold his tears back. However, the memory of his father stays with him in all his trials and tribulations. Perhaps it’s the same memory that gives him the strength to not worry about what will happen inside the Octagon.

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“There’s not much RDA can do to me. I don’t care. I’m going out for bigger things than just fighting. I gotta take the bull by the horn in this one and take advantage of what’s in front of me.

“Two red corners, two posters, this is the stuff that I’ll remember. Wins and losses I can live with. Just having the guts to do this kind of stuff. That’s what excites me,” Felder added.

Felder’s last outing ended in a close loss against Dan Hooker. He even hinted at retirement in the post-fight interview. Leaving all of it behind, he will now step inside the Octagon after dropping 14 pounds in 5 days to fight Rafael dos Anjos.

READ MORE- Paul Felder Hints Retirement After Split Decision Loss to Dan Hooker