It took Paul Felder 12 UFC fights to break into the official UFC lightweight rankings. By then he was eight years into his MMA career. His decision win over James Vick put him in the No. 10 spot. His split decision victory over Edson Barboza earned him the No. 6 ranking. After his split decision loss to Dan Hooker in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Auckland card, Felder will drop at least one spot when the rankings are refreshed this coming week. The likelihood he will have to face someone ranked below him in his next bout is high, which means Felder is much further away from a lightweight title shot than he was before his “Fight of the Night” bonus-winning scrap against Hooker.
Editorial: Paul Felder has enough reasons to walk away from MMA
