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UFC: Paul Felder ‘surprised’ by Conor McGregor call out, but ‘I’m trying to fight the best – he’s it’

  • Commentator Felder says McGregor’s ‘fool at the desk’ jibe after UFC 246 return was ‘all in fun’
  • ‘If you have Conor McGregor talking about you, that’s not a bad thing,’ adds ‘The Irish Dragon’

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Conor McGregor reacts before taking on Donald Cerrone in their welterweight bout during UFC 246. Photo: AFP

UFC lightweight Paul Felder admitted he was taken aback when Conor McGregor pointed a finger his way, after his emphatic knockout of Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 246 in Las Vegas last month.

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Felder was part of the commentary team that night, and was forced to quickly revert to fighter mode when “The Notorious” – riding the high of his 40-second demolition job – laid the challenge down to him.

“It was 100 per cent a surprise,” Felder told the Post. “I was sitting there doing my job, doing the colour commentary, and he mouths something towards me, and I wondered if it was about me.

“Then when he said something about the ‘fool at the desk’ I thought, it's got to be me. It's all in fun, and if you have Conor McGregor talking about you, that's not a bad thing.”

Paul Felder battles Edson Barboza in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Reuters
Paul Felder battles Edson Barboza in Abu Dhabi. Photo: Reuters
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Tension ramped up a notch between the two on Friday, when McGregor questioned the legitimacy of Felder – known as “The Irish Dragon” – and his roots.

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