Paul Felder thought he was making a huge comeback by fighting at the historic UFC 300 card in April after Jim Miller considered him as one of his options. However, according to the retired fighter, this excitement was quickly extinguished when the promotion executives revealed their plans to him, ultimately denying him the chance to face Miller.
In the initial announcement of UFC 300, UFC CEO Dana White shared that Miller would be one of the fighters making participation in the event. Thankfully, “A-10” secured the spot after submitting Gabriel Benitez at UFC Fight Night 234. After this, the veteran named some of his options, including Felder, who made his retirement in 2020. Needless to say, despite things still being uncertain, the news thrilled Felder, who talked about a possible return to the sport.
The commentator earlier shared his reluctance in gambling to make a comeback but maintained a positive attitude toward the possible move. According to the former fighter, he consulted UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby about this. Unfortunately, that was the moment Felder’s excitement was cut, with Shelby revealing his and UFC CEO Dana White’s plan for Miller and his next opponent.
“I reached out to Sean (Shelby),” Felder shared on the Anik & Florian Podcast. “We were out for dinner, and I was like, ‘Let me at least just see if it’s even on the table before I get excited.’ The media talked to me, I’m like, ‘Oh man, this might actually happen.’ You start getting those butterflies, those nervous feelings. (I) wanted to go hit pads right then and there… The only reason I was reluctant in the post-fight (press conference) I did was you don’t want to go out and make that decision right then and there in front of everyone.
“I know I should go home, talk to everyone, and make sure everyone is on board before I commit to getting into a training camp for the first time in years,” Felder continued. “But before I even got to that point, I talked to Sean and he’s like, ‘We are looking to give him something closer to the top 10, it’s what me and Dana think is right for him.’ … There is nothing else to be said, I can’t argue. I didn’t even get the ball rolling thinking it was going to happen.”
Needless to say, while the comeback sounds interesting for Felder’s fans, the promotion has other priorities at the moment. With this, Miller will instead face Bobby Green at UFC 300. As for Felder, it remains unknown what his current plans are, although a possible comeback is still possible in the future.
