Paul Felder gives Tony Ferguson edge over Kevin Lee at UFC 216 thanks to experience – and crazy

Paul Felder knows a thing or two about fighting top-notch lightweights.

With six UFC wins in the division since arriving on the scene three years ago, Felder (14-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) has been as active in the weight class as anyone. And now he’s been adding analyst to his MMA resume.

This weekend, Felder will be on the FOX Sports desk for pre- and post-fight shows for UFC 216, which takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

In the main event, Felder will no doubt have his eyes on Tony Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and Kevin Lee (16-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC), who fight for the interim lightweight title. He said he’d love to fight each of them down the road.

“They’re both world-class guys,” Felder told MMAjunkie Radio this week ahead of the fight. “I want to fight them both eventually, so I can’t wait to see them beat the crap out of each other. I don’t know if they’re going to be able to finish each other, to be honest. I think it’s going to be a long, five-round, very competitive fight between those two guys. They’re both super durable, super good cardio, and they’re both talented all around the board.”

Felder said he’s giving Ferguson the edge in the fight – and he said that before he knew Lee was going to struggle to make weight. Lee on Thursday said he had 19 pounds to cut in 24 hours. He showed up to the official weigh-ins today a pound over and was given an hour to make it, which he did.

But Felder believes Ferguson’s experience against the 25-year-old will make the difference.

“I really think the experience edge obviously goes toward Tony, and his unorthodox-ness, his toughness,” he said. “But Kevin Lee, man, he’s made it pretty clear the toughness of Ferguson only means he’s going to take a longer beating. I think those guys are going to put on a show.

“Being through grinding training camps and knowing what it’s like to go 25, 30 minutes with other guys that are on your level, it becomes a mental game. I think that’s where Ferguson really does have an edge in this matchup. I think he’s a little crazy, first of all. And I think that helps in that he’s not afraid to go to war with you.

“… Kevin Lee is super talented. He’s strong, he’s got crazy reach for that division, but I think when you beat up on a guy and maybe he doesn’t go away, we’re going to see a lot about where Kevin Lee’s heart and mental toughness come into play.”

To hear more from Felder, check out the video above.

For more on UFC 216, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.