If Paul Felder can get past Jim Miller, we’ll know it’s not a fluke.
Felder, the lightweight who stole the UFC 182 undercard show with a spinning back-fist knockout of Danny Castillo, now gets a bump up in competition, facing Miller at UFC on Fox 15, scheduled to take place April 18 in Newark, N.J.
The news was announced Wednesday evening by broadcaster Ariel Helwani on the UFC Tonight program (h/t MMAJunkie.com).
Well there ya go. Me and @JimMiller_155 will throw down like east coast dudes do! Good dude and a bad ass. #cannotwait #ufc #itson #mma #fox
— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) January 15, 2015
Fighting in only his second UFC contest, the 29-year-old Miller (9-0) was widely expected to come up short against Castillo, the wrestler based at California’s prestigious Team Alpha Male camp. Though Felder did win his UFC debut, it came by split decision against an equally unheralded opponent in Jason Saggo.
However, Felder pulled off the biggest surprise and the most exciting moment of the UFC 182 card, and the performance netted him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
On the other side of the cage, Miller (24-5-1) is one of the toughest and most experienced fighters in the UFC lightweight division. In his previous bout, held last July, Miller lost an action-packed contest to Donald Cerrone when Cerrone landed a highlight-reel head kick in the second round. Before that setback, Miller had won two in a row.
The matchup should provide both an entertaining scrap for fans and a solid litmus test for Felder, who became an overnight fan favorite following the widely watched UFC 182. It makes sense that Miller, himself a fighter with proven popularity and staying power, is a perfect test for “The Irish Dragon.”
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