Getty Conor McGregor laughs during a news conference with Nate Diaz at the UFC Gym on February 24, 2016, in Torrance, California.
UFC superstar Conor McGregor is known to poke at his fighting rivals on social and one of those fighters is Paul “The Irish Dragon” Felder. Multiple times in the past year, McGregor, a proud Irishman, has taken to Twitter to declare that Felder has a German last name and dismissing his Irish heritage.
McGregor would also delete the tweets shortly after. See three screenshots below of McGregor’s tweets about Felder, taking aim at The Irish Dragon.
TwitterConor McGregor replies to Paul Felder’s tweet.
TwitterConor McGregor shades Paul Felder on Twitter.
TwitterConor McGregor trolls Paul Felder in now-deleted tweet.
Speaking with media recently, Felder was asked about the heritage jabs from McGregor.
Felder, who is ranked No. 8 in the UFC’s lightweight division, is set to commentate “Notorious'” fight on January 23 at UFC 257 against Dustin Poirier. Days before a UFC event takes place, commentators meet with the fighters on the card to discuss their impending bout. Felder will take part in a meeting with McGregor in the coming days.
“I was talking to my producer that, you know, we’re gonna have to do fighter meetings,” Felder said. “And hopefully we can get through that without any German comments.”
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Felder Said His Last Name Is German But He Is From Irish Descent as Well
GettyConor McGregor & Paul Felder
The Irish Dragon gave a breakdown of his heritage while speaking with the media, stating that although his last name is German, he is of Irish descent. However, at the end of the day, Felder is American.
“My last name is German, right?” Felder continued. “My dad’s side… I hate talking about this with people that aren’t American because I know I’m not Irish. I’m not German. I’m not Italian. I’m not Swedish. I’m American. I get that, okay?”
“Obviously, I’m of Irish descent,” Felder said. “You can take one look at me. You can also see the German in me and my better jawline than most of the Irish.”
The Irish Dragon said he “knows why” McGregor has been ripping him about his heritage.
“Yeah, it’s silly and [McGregor has] poked fun of me on social media and then deletes them and it’s just, I think he’s just f****** with me, to be honest with you.” Felder continued. “He’s like that. He’s not an idiot, man. He’ll poke at anybody in case you climb the ranks and you’re next.”
“I’m calling myself The Irish Dragon,” Felder continued. “And he’s like, ‘Well, your last name is German, so what the hell are you talking about?’ So if I ever had to fight him, maybe I’d come out as “The German Dragon” for that one, just for fun.”
Felder reiterated that he doesn’t think McGregor’s beef with his heritage will come up during their meeting.
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Felder Revealed How ‘The Irish Dragon’ Nickname Originated
During the media scrum, Felder said he accepted “The Irish Dragon” nickname begrudgingly to begin with. Former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida is one of Felder’s favorite fighters, and along with his karate background, Paul became “The Irish Dragon.”
“I also did not give myself ‘The Irish Dragon’ nickname,” Felder said. “As a matter of fact, I fought against it for the first few fights in my pro career because I freaking hated it. I thought it was stupid. It got put together because I did karate. Lyoto Machida was one of my favorite fighters, ‘The Dragon.’
“And then this guy was like, ‘Well, you’re Irish, the Irish dragon.’ And he started saying it on a YouTube video. [Cage Fury Fighting Championships] got a hold of it when I was fighting for them. They just called me that, the one fight, and it’s stuck. So I’m not trying to claim any heritage and this and that.”
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