UFC
Paul Felder feels like he "took off like an idiot" in third round against Edson Barboza at UFC on Fox 16
Jul 27, 2015 - 5:10:56 PM Paul Felder feels like he "took off like an idiot" in third round against Edson Barboza at UFC on Fox 16

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Edson Barboza and Paul Felder put on one hell of a show on Saturday night, earning a "Fight of the Night" bonus at UFC on Fox 16 in Chicago. The three-round battle saw both throwing tons of strikes, each doing significant damage to their opponent in a fight that thrilled the crowd.

Barboza got his hand raised, and though Felder admitted the bonus helped ease the sting of defeat a little bit, he was kicking himself a bit for what he feels he failed to do in the cage.

"Getting a little extra money doesn't hurt," Felder said at the post-fight press conference (via MMAJunkie.com). "[But] I'm here to win. In the moment, you don't know. These fights are so close, and with a guy like Edson, I left it in the hands of the judges. I didn't capitalize when I needed to capitalize. The third round, I took off like an idiot. I tried a takedown, which is never my game plan. And he scored a lot in the third round. I know what I did wrong, and it won't happen again."

"The fight got recognized for how tough it was. But it doesn't make it any easier getting that first loss on my record. I was really upset when I walked backstage. Edson's a tough S.O.B. I got that first 'L,' and now I'm going to have to get a whole lot more 'Ws,' that's all."

Penick's Analysis: Felder did a lot of good things in that fight, but Barboza was just a lot more accurate overall, and beat his body up with brutal series of kicks and punches. He was in the fight until the end, but despite being upset with the stoppage, he realized after the fact that he didn't do enough to convincingly take the fight. Still, it's one of those learning experiences that he can build upon to come back stronger, and given how impressed Dana White was with the performance, he'll get more opportunities to prove he belongs in bigger spots.