Paul Felder officially re-enters USADA testing pool but is “just in case” he decides to return

Former UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder is back in USADA, but that doesn’t mean a return is confirmed.

‘The Irish Dragon’ has been out of action since a short-notice clash with Rafael dos Anjos in November 2020. That night, Paul Felder suffered a split-decision defeat, his second in a row. That February, the lightweight contender suffered a controversial loss on the scorecards to Dan Hooker.

Following that defeat, Paul Felder admitted that he was thinking about retirement. While he later had the short-notice bout with the Brazilian, he retired the following May. At the time, the lightweight contender stated that he didn’t have the desire to compete, especially considering that he was out of title contention.

For two years, Paul Felder remained on the sidelines as a retired fighter. That was until September when the lightweight was added to the UFC’s roster. At the time, there were reports that he was eyeing a return for next April, but that was never confirmed. However, he’s now officially back in the USADA testing pool.

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As first reported by MMAFighting, Paul Felder is now back in the USADA testing pool. Having already submitted his first drug test, the news doesn’t mean that the lightweight contender will be returning. As later reported by ESPN, the move isn’t an announcement that he’s unretired.

Instead, it’s more of a “just in case”, type of move. While Paul Felder didn’t explicitly say it, it seems that the 39-year-old is only interested in big, major fights moving forward. Then again, he’s not entirely sure that he will ever compete again, but he would love to have the opportunity.

Obviously, there is a six-month mandatory testing window to compete under USADA. However, as many are aware, the UFC won’t be partnering with that testing company moving forward. Starting in 2024, the MMA company will be working with Drug Free Sport, which works with the NFL, and NBA, among others.

What do you make of this news involving Paul Felder? Who do you want to see him fight if he returns?