Skip to 02:07 for the callout.
Justin Gaethje and Paul Felder are separated by just one spot in the official lightweight rankings, so it would not be outrageous — especially now that Dana White is booking fights based on positioning — to have “The Highlight” go to war with “The Irish Dragon” at some point later this year.
Which is why Felder called for the fight at UFC Philadelphia.
That didn’t sit too well with Gaethje because the request came during his post-fight interview, shortly after the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) champion planished Edson Barboza to earn yet another post-fight bonus.
Was Felder trying to steal his shine, or simply shooting his shot?
“Literally said I wanted the winner of UFC Philadelphia after my last fight,” Felder wrote on Twitter (proof here). “Then I have the winner standing NEXT TO ME, [of] course I’m gonna ask. If I didn’t, people would say I didn’t have the balls to say it to his face. Well I do and I did. He is a stud! And I want to fight the best.”
Fans were quick to jump on Felder for the callout, likely because Gaethje wasn’t thrilled about it. But the blame for that falls on UFC, because that’s what happens when you have an active fighter serving as commentator and analyst for fights in the same division.
“I get where Justin is coming from,” Felder told MMA Junkie. “It’s just everybody else that needs to shut the (expletive) up. I had to do what I had to do, and he’s going to react the way he’s going to react. I have no problem with him being like, ‘They tried to steal my moment.’ Maybe we got a little carried away when it kept going on. But I just wanted to say, ‘I’d love to fight you. It’s going to happen now, or it’s going to happen later.’ That’s the part that I don’t see how it could be a big deal.”
Felder (16-4) is coming off a unanimous decision win over James Vick at UFC on ESPN 1 back in February and has captured four of his last five. Gaethje (20-2), who murdered Vick at UFC Fight Night 135, has now won two straight after sleeping Barboza.
Anyone have a problem with Felder’s post-fight comment?