Paul Felder Might Have Lost to Mike Perry But He Gained A Lot of Respect After Fighting Through a Crazy Broken Arm…
Many MMA fans believe that Daniel Cormier vs Stipe Miocic was not the most highlight of UFC 226. Nope, the diehards give that status to Paul Felder’s war against Mike Perry. It was a fight that left both men battered, bloody, and – ‘The Irish Dragon’s’ case – broken.
These men weren’t even meant to fight. After James Vick was booked as a last-minute replacement opponent for Justin Gaethje, Felder was left without anyone to fight. It was frustrating for the Philidelphia fighter, who hadn’t fought since last December. A slot opened up against Mike Perry after Yancy Medeiros injured himself.
Felder, being an absolute hardcore legend, moved up a division to welterweight on two weeks notice. His face was sliced to ribbons and his arm was broken, yet he still dragged Perry to a split-decision. Now he’s released an image of the X-Ray, which you can see below.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlIsCz1AtJV/?utm_source=ig_embed
Damage
Felder took severe damage in the fight. Both Perry and Felder split their foreheads open almost as soon as they as started, after bashing their heads off each other. Cue blood. Lots of blood. It didn’t put a dent in their fighting spirit though.
Perry fought a much more measured battle than we’re normally used to seeing. ‘Platinum’ has moved camp to Jackson-Wink in Albuquerque, New Mexico and the difference in only four months is astounding. In his previous two fights, he bit down on the gum shield, brawled and got beat. Not this time though.
The Irish Dragon broke his arm after throwing a spinning elbow. The force of his own attack split the bone in his arm, as you can see above. The most astounding part of this is that he continued to throw down, even using the arm to strike Perry. Dominick Cruz was commentating and he was audibly cringing. It was nasty to watch. Felder is crazy tough.
Hard Fought
In the end, Perry would take the win. It was a brutal baptism of fire for Felder whose move up to welterweight didn’t go as planned. He definitely didn’t lose any standing with the UFC though. He helped them out by jumping in at the last minute and gave the pay-per-view audience an absolute war. You have to love that.
Click on the image above to reveal the insane blood and grit that these two fighters were displaying during their mad brawl. If you’re squeamish you might want to get out of here.
What’s Next?
Obviously, Felder won’t be fighting in the octagon until his arm heals up and that could take a while. It’s very frustrating for him because he may end up having fought just once in 2018. Careers are short and both lightweight and welterweight are competitive divisions, so he won’t want to be out for too long.
Meanwhile, Perry could be back in a couple of months. He already thinks he’s ready for the main event at a fight night. That could be too soon, but hey – if Artem Lobov can get one then so can fan-favorite ‘Platinum.’ These two men may never be champions, but they’re the type of fighters that fans will always rally behind.
