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'The Irish Dragon' Paul Felder left MMA fans bittersweet when he announced his retirement at UFC Vegas 27. While Felder will be missed inside the octagon, fans lauded the 37-year-old for doing what he believed was right and walking away with his head held high.
UFC lightweight and MMA icon Conor McGregor wished Felder a happy retirement and seemingly squashed the beef they've had over the years.
Paul Felder replied to the tweet from 'Notorious', wishing the Irishman the best of luck in his fight camp and congratulating him on his new child.
If you're wondering why Paul Felder said "thank you" in German, it's because Conor McGregor had taken offense to Felder's 'Irish Dragon' nickname and insisted that Felder's ancestry is German. This led to a back-and-forth between the lightweights, with McGregor taking repeated stabs at Felder.
You can read more about it here.
Paul Felder is confident in his decision to retire
'The Irish Dragon' announced his retirement from the commentary desk during the UFC Vegas 27 broadcast.
Number nine-ranked lightweight Paul Felder thanked the UFC and all those involved for his journey while also apologizing to the lower-ranked lightweights for holding up the division.
In the UFC Vegas 27 post-fight press conference, Felder highlighted several reasons because of which he was convinced it was time to hang up the gloves. Noting the fall from grace of other UFC veterans like Jacare Souza and Donald Cerrone, who seem to have fought way past their expiration date, Paul Felder stated that he wasn't going to follow in their footsteps.
Felder further stated that possible matchups in the lightweight division didn't excite him anymore, and he didn't want to spend weeks in the hospital with injuries and broken bones.
UFC president Dana White wished Paul Felder the best and stated that he looks forward to working with 'The Irish Dragon' in his role as a broadcaster and analyst. Felder also had a cheeky message for UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira.
'The Irish Dragon' retired from professional mixed martial arts with a record of 17-6.
