Paul Felder ready to make run to the top, eyes matchups with McGregor, Gaethje and Poirier

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Paul Felder ready to make run to the top, eyes matchups with McGregor, Gaethje and Poirier

NEW YORK – Paul Felder is ready to make a run for the lightweight title.

Felder (17-4 MMA, 9-4 UFC), who’s been continuously calling out the likes of Conor McGregor, broke down the lightweight picture, and said he’d also be interested in matchups with 155-pound contender Justin Gaethje or former lightweight title challenger Dustin Poirier, as well.

“Conor coming back is kinda good,” Felder told MMA Junkie at UFC 244 in New York this past Saturday. “It’s very good stuff, but it’s mixing things up. Who’s he going to fight? Obviously (Donald) ‘Cowboy’ (Cerrone) – they’re saying is the frontrunner for that. But Gaethje I know really wanted it. Poirier just had hip surgery, so he might be out until March. I know (Dan) Hooker’s looking for an opponent to go down there to New Zealand. But these are all things that interest me but for that fight. I would like that to be the main event if that was something that was going to come up.”

Felder is on a two-fight winning streak with back-to-back wins over James Vick and Edson Barboza in September at UFC 242, which avenged a prior loss. He has won five of his past six and is ready to take on one of the top-ranked fighters in the division,

“Obviously Poirier or Gaethje or Conor or any of these guys ranked above me – I’ll take any of them, as well,” Felder said. “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.

“For me, Justin Gaethje I think is a challenge. I think he’s one of the biggest challenges at lightweight right now. I think he’s as tough as they come. He’s knocking everybody out. Obviously I think Tony (Ferguson) is the same way – dude’s an absolute savage. But he’s got business to handle with Khabib (Nurmagomedov), and I think that fight needs to happen. So Gaethje, obviously because he’s ranked higher, puts me in a better position. Poirier is another one. But I’m not cancelling the idea of fighting below me as well, depending on what the matchup is.”

All Felder knows, is he’s ready to get back in there. The 35-year-old lightweight contender thinks the time is now to make his run to the top while he eagerly waits to sit down with the UFC, and discuss his next options.

He’d be willing to face anyone if the matchup interests him.

“I don’t want to be one of those guys always fighting up, then complaining about those guys not wanting to fight down,” Felder said. “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.”

Paul Felder ready to make run to the top, eyes matchups with McGregor, Gaethje and Poirier