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How will Paul Felder stay unbiased calling teammate Anthony Pettis at UFC-Norfolk? Let him explain
Paul Felder will serve as a commentator for a full UFC card for the first time on Saturday when he calls UFC Fight Night 120 alongside Jon Anik.
It’s a major assignment in Felder’s (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) flourishing broadcasting career, and it comes with a significant challenge attached. Felder’s Roufusport teammate Anthony Pettis (20-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) is one half of the main event, and calling his lightweight showdown with Dustin Poirier (21-5 MMA, 13-4 UFC) is going to be a test of his ability to stay unbiased.
“That is tough,” Felder told MMAjunkie. “Obviously, there’s a guy going in there that I’ve shared sweat with and kicked and punched each other, and obviously I want the best for him. But this is also my career. This is an important fight for me to call to show that I’m capable of doing that. If I start losing my mind over Anthony winning or losing, it just doesn’t look good as a professional. I got to call it like it is.”
UFC Fight Night 120 takes place at Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va., and it airs on FS1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Felder, a lightweight who’s scheduled to face Charles Oliveira (22-7 MMA, 10-7 UFC) at UFC 218 next month, has quickly risen up the UFC pecking order of commentators after debuting on Dana White’s Contender Series over the summer. “The Irish Dragon” helped call a handful of bouts at UFC Fight Night 116 in September, but he now gets a complete card assignment.
Although Felder intends on staying neutral for the Pettis vs. Poirier affair, he’s aware that one of the challenges of commentary is controlling emotion. He doesn’t want to let that get the best of him to the point he ends up calling a slanted fight, but fortunately for Felder, he said he has some experience in such situations.
“You’ve got to call what is actually happening,” Felder said. “You can’t call one side. If Anthony lands a head kick, you’ve got to call it. If Dustin starts piecing him up, you’ve got to go with that. You really got look at it as a fight you’re watching and take yourself out of it. But I’ve got experience on the regional scene. I’ve called close friends. Me and Anthony are teammates now, and we know each other very well, but I’ve had guys I’ve come up my whole career with, and I’ve seen them get knocked out cold in front of me.”
For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 120, check out the UFC Events section of the site.
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