UFC results and video: Hooker edges Felder in exciting split decision

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Dan Hooker snuck past Paul Felder with a split decision in a a war that was the UFC Auckland main event.

UFC Auckland is in the books and the promotion’s #7 ranked lightweight, Dan Hooker, took a tightly contested split decision over the #6 ranked lightweight, Paul Felder, in the UFC Auckland main event. This was a back-and-forth war, with Hooker getting off to a strong start, with Felder turning up late. They went blow for blow, but there had to be a winner and that was Hooker. In his post-fight interview, Hooker called out Justin Gaethje for his next outing, which would be epic. As for Felder, he hinted that his next move just might be retirement.

Hooker came out working his calf kicks while using his footwork to stay on the outside. Felder got back in the game with his left hook. Felder kept getting stuck on the outside, unable to close the distance with getting jab or leg kicked. It was a pretty close round. Hooker got off to s solid start in the second act. He stuck with his calf kicks and maintained his active footwork. Hooker managed to take the back while standing, with one hook in, but nothing came of it. Felder started to come alive with his kicks, to the body and leg alike.

The third frame was extremely close. Hooker was landing his jab but started to get away from his leg kicks. That’s when Felder started to ramp up leg attacks of his own. Both men exchanged a lot more in the pocket, with both fighters connecting. Good luck scoring that round live.

In the fourth act, Felder got to work with his leg kicks and the movement of Hooker began to slow down. Felder started to connect much better with his punches, which Hooker addressed by shooting for the takedown. Although Felder stayed on his feet, he did spend a little bit of time with his back to the fence.

The final round saw Felder dig deep. He started hurting Hooker with his hands. He was building off of his jab and chasing down the New Zealander. Hooker stuck to his fundamentals, returning jabs to try and keep the distance there. The right cross of Felder kept finding a home, until Hooker shot in and finally got a takedown. Felder got back to his feet, but time ran out with Felder’s back to the cage.

Main event:

Dan Hooker def. Paul Felder by split decision (48-47 x2, 47-48): Lightweight