Paul Felder elaborates on his decision to retire, says recent losses by ‘Cowboy’ and ‘Jacare’ played a factor

Paul Felder has gone into more detail regarding his decision to retire from mixed martial arts, as he announced on Saturday night.

Felder made the revelation during the UFC Vegas 27 broadcast, insisting that while it was a tough decision to make, it was the right thing for him and his family. The 37-year-old walks away from the sport with a 17-6 record, with his last Octagon appearance being a split decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos back in November.

During the post fight press conference over the weekend, Felder spoke candidly about some of the factors behind his retirement.

“I really waited until I knew,” Felder said at the post-fight press conference. “After the [Dan] Hooker fight, it was kind of emotional and I lost the fight and I’m far away from home and it was a struggle. But then I did find that fire again when I got the [Rafael dos Anjos] fight. I went back and did camps and I was helping Sean Brady get ready for fights and I was hitting pads, I was lifting again, I was doing all those things and just slowly over time I started drifting back towards doing my own things and really just loving doing this triathlon stuff on my own, having time, seeing my daughter everyday after school, dropping her off at school. Training in my own little pain cave at home in the garage and getting stuff done.

“I don’t think I’m going to get to the belt. I think this is the first time where I finally really think after those two losses in a row, watching guys like ‘Jacare’ [Souza] break their arm, watching guys like ‘Cowboy’ [Cerrone] fight five more fights than I think they should. I’m not going to be that guy. I’ve said from the very beginning of this sport, I won’t be that guy that fights past his expiration date and I think it’s here. I think it’s a touch early but I’d rather it be a touch early than a touch late.”

Quotes courtesy of MMA Fighting