Paul
Felder is considering a return to the Octagon for a clash
against Jim Miller at
UFC
300.
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Miller put on an impressive performance to earn a submission win
over fellow veteran Gabriel
Benitez at
UFC Fight Night 234 on Saturday. With his latest win, the 40
year old extended his own record for both most fights (43) and wins
(26) in
UFC history. Miller, who has notched wins at both UFC 100 and
UFC 200, has been eyeing a UFC 300 outing to complete his
trifecta.
He reiterated his call for a spot on the UFC 300 card during his
post-fight interview, targeting both Felder and Matt Brown as
potential opponents.
“UFC 300 is coming up,” Miller said. “I got three months to heal up
and stay in shape and stay ready. Paul Felder, I think that would
be a fun fight. I’ve got the most finishes at lightweight. Matt
Brown, I would love to go up to 170 fight the guy with the most
knockouts in UFC history …”
Felder, who was cageside on commentary duty, answered Miller’s
callout, expressing interest in the matchup. “The Irish Dragon,”
who called it a career in November 2020, is now considering a
comeback for an iconic fight.
“Anybody that knows me or talks to me knew that Jim was the name
that was gonna be like, ‘If I’m going to do it, I want it to be
against a guy like Jim’ — somebody that’s around my age, that’s
been in the game a long time,” Felder told media after the event. “I’m not trying to come
back and make a run for the belt or anything like that.”
Felder also revealed that he has previously discussed the
possibility with Miller, who asked for a commentary gig in
exchange. Felder claims “A-10” will most likely be called for an
audition.
Felder has struggled with the decision to stay retired even as he
delves into other endeavors like acting and triathlons. The 38 year
old also knows that a potential UFC 300 outing against Miller
ultimately depends on the UFC.
“It’s also up to the UFC too. I obviously haven’t pressed the
issue,” he said. “[UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby] knew that, he knew
he wanted to test me out and see if I was just being flakey, and
I’ve done it in the past where I’m like, ‘I’m coming back, I’m
going to make a run for it, I’m going to do all this’ and then I
just don’t. So I’ve got to see if they’re even interested in that
fight happening. But to do it on a legendary card like that would
be incredible.”
While he hasn’t been competing, Felder claims to be the best shape
of his adult life and is definitely considering the
possibility.
“It’s definitely a possibility,” he said. “I’ve got to go home, and
I’ll probably have a fun night tonight, and then get back into
seeing how the body feels training. I’m in phenomenal shape, I’m in
the best shape of my adult life the last few years, I just haven’t
been fighting.”