ABU DHABI – Paul Felder can say definitively that he’s not the fight UFC president Dana White recently came out and said he’s working on for Nate Diaz.
Earlier this week White said he’s attempting to put together a fight for Diaz (20-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) that should have the MMA community very excited and would put him in a prominent position going forward. Moreover, he said the matchup would be at lightweight, where Diaz has not fought since December 2015.
After White’s comments, speculation became rampant about who would fit the description he teased. Felder (17-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) said he received countless messages questioning if he’s part of the plan but verified on Thursday that it’s not him – despite his hopes otherwise.
“I’ve had so many people tag me saying, ‘UFC in the works: Paul Felder vs. Nate Diaz,’” Felder told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during a media availability. “I’m like, ‘When are they going to call me and tell me about that?’ You want to talk about motivated and getting excited? I would absolutely love that fight.
“Like (Dan) Hooker even said, I would fight him at ’85, at 205 – it doesn’t matter. That’s a fight you take. Nate’s a legend at this point. I would love that fight. But now, it’s not me. I wish it was me.”
If not him, then who could Diaz potentially be fighting in his comeback? White was resistant to give many details when he spoke to The Mac Life, but Felder offer a guess in Justin Gaethje.
“I know (Charles) Oliveira said he didn’t want to fight Gaethje, right? He said he wants to wait,” Felder said. “Maybe Justin? I have no inside information on this, by the way. I don’t know who it would be. I’m thinking Justin, but if he slips on a banana peel and can’t do it, I’d be down.”
Although Felder would like to be included in the Diaz sweepstakes, he said he’s being realistic about his next move. He’s on a two-fight losing skid, with a pair of split decision defeats to Rafael dos Anjos and Dan Hooker in 2020. There was a time there when it seemed Felder was working toward a permanent role as a broadcaster and his time as an active fighter was over, but recent outcomes have inspired him again.
Because of that, Felder said he’s willing to work his way up the good old-fashioned way, and that’s by taking on an opponent who is within range of his ranking and in a similar spot.
“I need to go out there and perform in my next fight,” Felder said. “Not worried about getting a top-two guy, a top-three guy. It’s not going to happen. I need somebody that’s in a similar position, where they’ve got to go out and perform, and one of us will move forward and one will take a step back.”
Paul Felder says he’s not Nate Diaz mystery lightweight opponent, despite hope for fight