Paul Felder sinks in standing rear-naked choke to submit Daron Cruickshank
Paul Felder had a battle on his hands with Daron Cruickshank but he got the job done with a slick standing rear-naked choke to get the submission victory in the third and final round.
Felder and Cruickshank are both well known for their flashy striking styles, and they showed that off throughout the first two rounds, exchanging a number of spinning techniques and highlight-reel punches and kicks.
Cruickshank was able to employ his taekwondo to land more than a couple kicks out of nowhere and it had Felder carefully plotting his next move so he didn't get caught with something flush courtesy of the veteran from Detroit.
Felder stormed back with a solid ground attack, including a near reverse triangle choke that had Cruickshank battling for air a few moments until he slipped out.
It was a very close fight through two rounds, but Felder found an opening to take Cruickshank down in the third and he made a beautiful transition to take his opponent's back and look for the rear-naked choke.
A VERY emotional @FelderPaul! What a win! What a fight! Hats off to these two!! #UFCBoston https://t.co/6tFXSRbF7i
— #UFCBoston (@ufc) January 18, 2016
Cruickshank stood back to his feet, but that only gave Felder more room to work as he slipped his arm under the chin before both fighters went crashing back to the mat as the tap out came seconds later.
Felder gets a much needed win following two tough losses in a row and his emotions boiled over as he shed a couple of tears in celebration after getting his third UFC victory.
