Former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho training for April return on ESPN

by James Iannotti on Feb 25, 2009 11:07 AM EST

Quoteworthy:

"Everything points to April 3rd, in the United States. The event will be broadcast on ESPN, and should be in Las Vegas. I don’t know the name of the event yet, my agent is coming to Brazil will all the papers for me to sign. I just know I’ll fight on the 3rd and want to get back in the ring."

-Former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho (16-1) all but confirms that he will compete in the Bellator Fighting Championship eight man tournament, which will air weekly on ESPN Deportes beginning in April. "Ely" dropped the first fight of his career back in November via unanimous decision to Chael Sonnen - a bout he weighed in for at a whopping nine pounds over the limit. There was clearly something off about the ex-champ that night as he appeared disinterested in the fight and exhibited some bizarre behavior inside the cage, perhaps a result of the depression issues and substance abuse in the months leading up to fight. According to the article, however, he is back on track and training with a better sense of focus now. Hopefully he's cleaned up for real because he's far too talented to abandon his career like it appeared he was doing in his last appearance.

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Is he sure he was actually speaking to his agent?? Or did he just think he was, when in all actuality he was speaking to a hydro pole

by McArthur on Feb 25, 2009 11:10 AM EST reply actions

probably talking to jesus too, this guy is a loon. hand down the nuttiest guy in mma. what is he doing at all still fighting he should be in rehab

by the heat on Feb 25, 2009 11:34 AM EST up reply actions

I know the event, it’s “mma celebrity rehab and 5150”
no one is telling him he’s trained just fine for this one

by kevin on Feb 25, 2009 11:35 AM EST up reply actions

lol

by McArthur on Feb 25, 2009 11:46 AM EST up reply actions

off topic, but this is worth it…what a train wreck interview.!!!

http://www.rawvegas.tv/watch/war-machine-hosts-ufc-95-after-party-at-hawaiian-tropic-zone/0aefc4bb74f0fe2b1a58f1bfd6b2fe

by kevin on Feb 25, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

mania posted this already

by rustedface on Feb 25, 2009 12:22 PM EST up reply actions

really? my bad, I missed it!

by kevin on Feb 25, 2009 2:09 PM EST up reply actions

THis dude is so spaced out he doesnt even know what the organization is called! To think I used to like this guy!

by john on Feb 25, 2009 6:53 PM EST up reply actions

I really hope they mangae to get this on ESPN or ESPN2 somehow. It would be a shame to not be able to check it out.

by DDT on Feb 25, 2009 1:28 PM EST up reply actions

I’ll believe it when I see it in his performance. I was sorry to hear about his drug and depression issues because they are very serious things for anyone to deal with.

He had every legitimate reason to pull out of the Sonnen rematch and under the circumstances at the time I think it was a horrible idea for him to take that fight.

by Machine on Feb 25, 2009 11:12 AM EST reply actions

I never understood why the UFC cut him. He has so much potential but is just in a bad place. They stick behind other fighters for dumb things so I don’t know why they just didn’t try to help him out and wait a while until he had to fight again. They could have kept him on the roster and gotten him some help and I think that would have been some good PR.

by Cogito_Ergo_Sum on Feb 25, 2009 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

He wasn’t in the UFC. Unless I’m missin something?

by Hero-Of-Time on Feb 25, 2009 12:38 PM EST up reply actions

WEC is owned by the UFC, he was in the WEC

by Cogito_Ergo_Sum on Feb 25, 2009 12:59 PM EST up reply actions

Oh yeah, right I knew that. Just had a split-second brain fart.

by Hero-Of-Time on Feb 25, 2009 1:22 PM EST up reply actions

The UFC doesn’t own the WEC. Zuffa owns them both.

by DDT on Feb 25, 2009 1:26 PM EST up reply actions

You all know what I mean, do I correct bs spelling? no, I understand what the person is implying and I don’t try to act like a smuck about it. Get off my balls

by Cogito_Ergo_Sum on Feb 25, 2009 2:01 PM EST up reply actions

schmuck

by Cogito_Ergo_Sum on Feb 25, 2009 2:15 PM EST up reply actions

does anyone know if he actually sent his championship belt to sonnen as he promissed he would? last I heard he said he was going to mail it to him but I didn’t hear anything on the matter since.

by caveira on Feb 25, 2009 11:19 AM EST reply actions

lol like it really means anything having a belt from an organization that no longer has your weight class

by brendan on Feb 25, 2009 11:28 AM EST up reply actions

it would mean something to me…its history and its yours because you’ve earned it but that is just my opinion

by McArthur on Feb 25, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

mine too.

by caveira on Feb 25, 2009 12:02 PM EST up reply actions

I agree

by Haze on Feb 25, 2009 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

I read that Filho’s manager sent it.

http://mmamania.com/2008/11/08/manager-paulo-filho-to-send-chael-sonnen-wec-belt/

I still can’t believe Paulo followed the Leon Spinks training regime, and thought he could win!

by Fred on Feb 25, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions

According to this, it looks like it was on the way.

http://mmamania.com/2008/11/08/manager-paulo-filho-to-send-chael-sonnen-wec-belt/

I still don’t understand why Filho used the Leon Spinks training method for his rematch…

by Fred on Feb 25, 2009 12:15 PM EST up reply actions

yeah, that was the last news I got from it too, but never heard something from sonnen confirming it. He was a a couple of interviews after that bout and no one ever asked him. sometimes journalists don’t know how to work LOL.

by caveira on Feb 25, 2009 1:04 PM EST up reply actions

How is Paulo Filho 16-1? I remember him losing to Page and Shogun in Pride. I must be missing something.

by bostommmajunkie on Feb 25, 2009 12:10 PM EST reply actions

never fought either of those guys

by McArthur on Feb 25, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions

That was Ricardo Arona. They’re very, very similar in appearance and style.

by Hero-Of-Time on Feb 25, 2009 12:37 PM EST up reply actions

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARES.

by GSPRush on Feb 25, 2009 12:37 PM EST reply actions

All of us who have seen Paulo fight when he is not dealing with depression and addiction.

by Jeff on Feb 25, 2009 2:04 PM EST up reply actions

is that the end of your post???

by McArthur on Feb 25, 2009 2:23 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah, not very long winded today. I’m a bit under the weather.

by Jeff on Feb 25, 2009 3:14 PM EST up reply actions

anyone else think that Hector Lombard is going to wreck him?

by BIll Maher on Feb 25, 2009 2:27 PM EST reply actions

This guy was ranked #2 in a lot f websites and after his last perfrmance gt kicked ut of zuffa that must suck “drugs and alcohol have ruined my life” Dave Chappelle skit.

by The Philicutioner on Feb 25, 2009 4:55 PM EST reply actions

I hope he’s cleaned up his act, he looked like he’d taken Karo Parisyan’s entire drug cabinet before that fight. Filho was really an exciting and formidable fighter before that fight and then… Well, we all know the story.

by Belisarius on Feb 25, 2009 4:58 PM EST reply actions