Paul Felder: Former UFC star swaps the octagon for triathlon
- Published
Felder fought 15 times, winning nine of those bouts in a six-year stint in the UFC
A key moment in Paul Felder's life came when he was hospitalised with a collapsed lung following victory over James Vick in 2019.
Lying in a hospital bed in Phoenix, Arizona with tubes coming out of his chest, the former UFC star looked over at his daughter who was passing the time by practising her ballet.
"I was like, 'I don't want her long lasting memories of me to be that'," Felder, 38, told BBC Sportshour.
"MMA is an incredible sport with incredible athletes, but what people don't give fighters enough credit for is what they have to deal with four, five days after a fight."
Felder would fight three more times in the UFC before coming to a decision to take up triathlon.
"Now [my daughter] barely knows any of that [injuries from fighting]. She sees me on the bike, running, on TV in a suit, not with my nose on the other side of my face."
Felder, who works part-time as a commentator and analysist for the UFC, says MMA is in his blood but triathlon is his new "obsession".
"As far as my passion is concerned and competing it's definitely triathlon because I'm still active in that - now I'm more an observer in MMA," he said.
"But I will always be a martial artist - that will never be taken from me. I will always be doing martial arts in some form or other until I'm dead."
'I found the limits triathletes push extremely attractive'
Felder has started working with the Professional Triathletes Organisation
Felder, who was born and lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, discovered triathlon during the coronavirus pandemic.
With MMA gyms closed in his home town, he turned to running as a means of keeping fit.
"I started watching videos and I was blown away - these guys were superhumans when it came to endurance sports," said Felder.
"Being in a sport myself where we have to push limits and boundaries, I found that extremely attractive."
After training in triathlon for a few months, Felder signed up for a race but cancelled after taking a UFC fight against Rafael dos Anjos on five day's notice.
"I hadn't trained MMA or been near a gym, only triathlon, and I took this main event fight," said Felder.
"I didn't win but the fact I went the full five rounds shows the insane endurance levels of these guys. That's how it [a love for triathlon] started."
'You need to be the best version of yourself in both sports'
Felder works part-time as a commentator and analysist for the UFC
Felder says MMA and triathlon both test the mental resolve of athletes and it is the physical effects where differences lie.
"What was hard [to adjust to] is it's such a different sport on the body," said Felder.
"It's cardiovascular, while MMA is more sprint work, more strength work, burst then relax.
"In triathlon you have to have your foot on the pedal all the time - how long can you sustain that high heart rate?"
Felder says the key difference between the two lies in the damage to the body.
"I love and respect this new sport but the physical toll is different."
"They [triathletes] may mentally and physically push just as hard but the damage MMA fighters go through - I'll always say that is the most intense sport."
Felder wants to reach the highest level he can in triathlon, without turning professional.
He added: "Being a professional [in triathlon] doesn't matter to me because I was a professional for so long in MMA.
"Winning my age group, getting across some smaller races and grabbing the tape at some point in my life - I want that."