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The Mixed Martial Arts world was once again sent into a meltdown when the UFC Vegas 14 clash between Islam Makhachev and Rafael dos Anjos was called off. With several fighters throwing their names into the hat to fight RDA on a week's notice, the UFC has reportedly found a replacement in the form of Paul Felder.
According to a report from ESPN's Brett Okamoto, The Irish Dragon has agreed to step in on five days notice to fight the former UFC lightweight champion. In doing so, Felder will also end his semi-retirement from the sport and step into the Octagon for the first time since February.
Here is what Brett Okamoto reported on Twitter:
While the UFC is yet to announce the new main event between Paul Felder and Rafael dos Anjos, the fight pretty much seems a done deal and could be announced at any given moment.
Paul Felder returns to face Rafael dos Anjos at UFC Vegas 14
The last time Paul Felder was seen in Octagon action was in February when he lost a hard-fought fight to Dan Hooker, a fight that Felder felt that he rightfully won and eventually went on to announce his retirement from the sport.
Since then however, The Irish Dragon has shown his interest in returning to the sport and it looks like this weekend could finally mark the return of Paul Felder. Having won two of his fights prior to the Hooker bout, Felder will look to pick up his first win since September of 2019 when he dispatched Edson Barboza at UFC 242.
As for Rafael dos Anjos, the former lightweight champion initially wanted to face Michael Chandler but the latter refused taking a fight on short notice after having cut weight just recently for his UFC 254 role as a back-up fighter. RDA will also be looking for a big win after having lost to Michael Chiesa and Leon Edwards in his last Octagon outings.
