Paul Felder
Active 2014–present · rated in 4 editions · peak overall 82.0
Scouting report
Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, "The Irish Dragon" Paul Felder established himself as a durable striker in the lightweight division. Known for spinning back elbows and Muay Thai leg kicks, Felder secured knockout wins over Charles Oliveira, Stevie Ray, and Danny Castillo, his stand-up supported by an 88 Kickboxing rating and 86 Durability.
Peak ratings
By edition
Felder made an electric UFC debut in late 2014, defeating Jason Saggo before delivering a spinning back-fist knockout of Danny Castillo at UFC 182 in Las Vegas in January 2015, followed by decision losses to Edson Barboza and Ross Pearson. His Muay Thai kicks, spinning techniques, and durability are reflected in an 82 Boxing and 86 Kickboxing.
Felder authored a three-fight knockout streak in 2017, stopping Alessandro Ricci with an elbow and punches in Halifax, knocking out Stevie Ray with elbows in Glasgow, and stopping Charles Oliveira with elbows in round two at UFC 218 in Detroit. His clinch elbows, physical strength, and standup power anchor his 84 Boxing and 86 Kickboxing score.
In 2018 and 2019, Felder lost a split decision to Mike Perry at welterweight in July 2018, before returning to lightweight to defeat James Vick in Phoenix and take a revenge split-decision victory over Edson Barboza at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. His durability, boxing in the pocket, and cardio pace are reflected in an 84 Boxing and 86 Cardio.
Felder engaged Dan Hooker in a five-round war in Auckland in February 2020, dropping a split decision, and fought Rafael dos Anjos over five rounds in Las Vegas before retiring to the broadcast booth. His heart, durability, and fight intelligence are captured in an 84 Boxing and 84 Fight IQ.
Paul Felder, the Philadelphia striker who threw everything
Paul Felder, known as The Irish Dragon, built a reputation on hard kicks, elbows and spinning strikes. He stopped Charles Oliveira with elbows and knocked out Stevie Ray and Danny Castillo. He came up in Philadelphia and later became well known as a commentator, but the fighter side of him was always entertaining. If you want a lightweight who wins with kicking variety and finishing strikes, he is a solid choice on a stand-up focused card.
How the Felder ratings read
Boxing. Good, though secondary to the kicks. He uses punches to set up elbows and kicks.
Kickboxing. His best attribute. Leg kicks, body kicks, elbows and spinning strikes are the reason people know his name.
Wrestling. One of his weaker areas. He prefers to stay on the feet.
BJJ. Just average. He is more of a striker who defends than a grappler who attacks.
Strength. Strong enough to hurt with kicks and hold his own in clinches.
Durability. Fair. He trades in the pocket, so his chin gets tested, but it is not what he is known for.
Cardio. Reliable. He can keep working kicks in the later rounds.
Fight IQ. Creative and patient. He sets traps for the elbow and the spinning strikes.
Kickboxing is the trait to draft him for
At 88, Kickboxing is his best number, and it drives everything else. The spinning back fist that knocked out Danny Castillo is the sort of finishing shot that a high rating suggests. On a card that already has a wrestler, a striker like Felder gives you a threat from range.
Grapplers can take him down: Wrestling and BJJ
Wrestling and BJJ both sit at 76, the lowest values on his card. A wrestler with a good shot can drag him to the mat, where his kicks are not much use. Support him with a teammate whose grappling is strong enough to cancel that plan.
Keep exploring
Closest lightweight profiles to Paul Felder, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Dan Hookerbest kickboxing 90 · weakest wrestling 78
- Rafael Fizievbest kickboxing 94 · weakest bjj 72
- Jorge Masvidalbest cardio 88 · weakest strength 78
- Jalin Turnerbest boxing 88 · weakest wrestling 72
- Lightweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Paul Felder's strongest attribute, Kickboxing.
Draft Paul Felder into your build
Paul Felder enters the pool on any spin landing on lightweight between 2014 and 2022. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Paul Felder is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Paul Felder's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.