Paul Felder says he's fighting Daron Cruickshank on UFC's Boston card
The UFC's return to Boston could get another injection of violence.
Paul Felder announced Wednesday night on Twitter that he'll be facing Daron Cruickshank in an exciting lightweight showcase bout at UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz on Jan. 17 at TD Garden. Cage Pages was the first to report the news.
Well it's official! I'm fighting Daron Cruickshank Jan17th in Boston. Super excited for this fight. Full camp this time. #ufcboston #W #ufc
— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) October 22, 2015
Felder (10-2) has lost two in a row, but they were both close decisions against top lightweights, Edson Barboza and Ross Pearson. The latter, in September at UFC 191, was a split decision. Felder, 31, won his first two fights in the UFC, including a spinning back fist knockout of Danny Castillo at UFC 182 in January. The Philadelpha native is a strong striker.
Cruickshank (16-7, 1 NC) is quite the stand-up fighter himself. He, too, has lost two in a row, the latest a first-round submission defeat against James Krause at UFC on FOX 16 in July. The Detroit native only had one loss in a span of five fights before this current skid. Cruickshank, 30, is a black belt in tae kwon do.
UFC Fight Night 81 is headlined by a bantamweight title fight between champion T.J. Dillashaw and former champion Dominick Cruz. In the co-main event, Anthony Pettis meets Eddie Alvarez in a lightweight contender bout.