Ridley High School alumnus Paul Felder lost a five-round slug fest on Saturday night in Auckland, with a split decision going to New Zealand native Dan Hooker instead.

Hometown cooking?

Maybe.

I thought the fight was super close, with both guys throwing and connecting on a ton of strikes. The fight stayed on the feet until the final round, when Hooker was able to secure a takedown, though he didn’t do much with it while Felder tried to get back to standing position instead.

Every judge gave Hooker round one and Felder round four, but the other three rounds were split, resulting a pair of 48-47 cards that ultimately resulted in a Hooker win.

Felder actually put out more volume than Hooker, according to the official stats, and I felt like he was moving forward and controlling the Octagon a bit better. I also wonder how many of these leg kicks Hooker really deserved credit for:

Either way, it was a fantastic fight, definitely lived up to its billing.

Afterward, Felder, who is 34 years old and would have likely moved into the top five with a win, said that he might be calling it quits. It would be a shame to see him end his career on a loss, but this was an honest take from him:

I love the crowd reaction there. Class from the New Zealand fans.

Philly guy, Paul Felder. Tough as nails and may have actually won that fight.