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Auckland, stand up! Paul Felder and Dan Hooker absolutely delivered a warriors’ performance in UFC Auckland’s main event. Both fighters refused to give the other man ground, with Hooker using the distance to pepper Felder and “The Irish Dragon” closing that distance to land huge shots. It was a back and forth battle that had the fans in the sold out Spark Arena screaming at the top of their lungs.
Felder controlled the center of the Octagon for much of the fight, as Hooker stuck to moving around the outside. Another major component of the fight was Hooker’s ability to control Felder on against the cage once the fighter from Philadelphia lunged in for contact. In the final two minutes of the fifth round Hooker lifted Felder off the ground to land a critical takedown.
The judges had a difficult task and it felt like there was no perfect choice. The final verdict was a split decision for Hooker, but the truth is that neither fighter has a single reason to hang their head.
What a fight and what a night. Well done, Auckland, it was one heck of a card.
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