Jared Gordon loses all his coaches due to COVID-19 testing so Paul Felder will leave broadcast booth to corner him

Jared Gordon will definitely have a story to tell once he returns from UFC “Fight Island.”
With a fight booked against Chris Fishgold on July 15, Gordon traveled to Yas Island in Abu Dhabi but it turns out none of his coaches were able to join him.
Gordon currently trains at Sanford MMA in Florida, which just recently faced a rash of positive tests for COVID-19. He shares the same coaching staff with welterweight contender Gilbert Burns, who was just removed from UFC 251 after he also tested positive for the coronavirus.
Several coaches and fighters out of the gym have reportedly also tested positive for COVID-19, which put Gordon in a very tough position with his fight just a few days away.
Now it appears Gordon will turn to an old friend to help him out on Wednesday night.
Paul Felder, who is scheduled to work on the commentary team starting with the July 15 card, has been given permission to leave the broadcast desk to corner Gordon for his fight. Felder and Gordon’s manager Brian Butler-Au from Suckerpunch Entertainment revealed the news on Instagram.
‘Jared Gordon’s coaches and team all tested positive for [coronavirus] and were not able to make the trip to corner him,” Butler-Au wrote. “With no corners or coaches, Jared was determined to fight and pressed through setback after setback and still made his way to ‘Fight Island.’
“In an unprecedented move, longtime friend, training partner and fellow [Suckerpunch] teammate, Paul Felder is scheduled to commentate the remaining events on ‘Fight Island’ and has gotten clearance to come off the desk and help his friend through the fight during the event. Also long time SP friend Eric Nicksick who is there with fellow SP client Dan Ige will step up and help Jared in his fight.”
Gordon previously told MMA Fighting that he had faced a lot of obstacles in the lead up to his fight in Abu Dhabi and now those details have been revealed.
In a crazy twist, Felder’s own trip to Abu Dhabi was delayed after he came in contact with Din Thomas, who was not allowed to go to “Fight Island” after he tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, Felder was eventually able to travel after he took additional tests to clear him to work the events on Yas Island.
Before joining the Sanford MMA team, Gordon had previously worked with Felder under head coach Duke Roufus at his gym in Milwaukee.
Now it looks like they’ll team up again as Gordon seeks a win on Wednesday night when he takes on Fishgold on the preliminary card.


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