Bitetti Combat: Paulo Filho vs Alex Schoenauer in the works for Sept. 12

by Jesse Holland on Jul 20, 2009 10:57 AM EDT

Fresh off his submission victory over Melvin Manhoef at DREAM 10, former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho (17-1) will lock horns with IFL veteran Alex Schoenauer (14-9) this Fall at "Bitetti Combat" from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on September 12, according to Super Lutas .

Filho — the last man to hold the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) middleweight title (albeit under bizarre circumstances) — came off an eight month layoff to score a first round armbar win over the K-1 wrecking machine on July 10.

"Ely" signed with the WEC in 2007 with an undefeated record (14-0) and a reputation as one of the top 185 pounders in the world. However, his status among the elite in the category quickly diminished because of depression and substance abuse issues outside the cage that affected his performance inside it.

The talent and skill set was always there, but his personal demons seemed to prevent him from breaking through to the highest level. His impressive win over "Marvelous" may perhaps be a sign that he's back on track and ready to reclaim his position as one of the worlds top 185-pound fighters.

That could be bad news for Schoenauer.

The former IFL vet cut his teeth on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, getting bounced from the reality show courtesy of a Forrest Griffin beatdown on episode nine. He made his first and only UFC appearance at the April 2005 Finale before a brutal knockout at the hands of Mike Swick just 20 seconds into the bout sent him packing.

The Xtreme Couture product kept the engine running in smaller promotions, compiling a 3-3 record before graduating to the IFL with a submission win over Travis Wiuff at "Legends Championship 2006."

He went 5-5 for the now-defunct fight league and has not competed since outpointing Brendan Barrett via split decision at IFL "New Jersey" back in April 2008.

Bitetti Combat will feature a light heavyweight showdown between Marvin Eastman and Ricardo Arona. Pedro Rizzo and Jeff Monson are also expected to hook ‘em up.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more on this developing card.

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few decent fights on the card actually…nice to see Arona back in action…finally

by McArthur on Jul 20, 2009 11:08 AM EDT reply actions

nice to see Filho in action!

by robbyc on Jul 20, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions

I would love to see Filho/arona but that would never happen

by JOhn G on Jul 20, 2009 6:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Yea, Arona would LNP him to death. Still a very nice card, can’t wait until Vitor confirms after he mercks Santiago.

by NameNotRequired on Jul 20, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions

how was his win impressive? he was getting killed until he got top position in a scramble.

by kitsunex on Jul 20, 2009 3:29 PM EDT reply actions

Thats what happens in Melvin fights. If you are going to beat him, you have to get him to the ground which means eating a few shots on the way. Paulo’s chin, heart, and ability to capitalize on a moments notice were what was impressive, and those are the qualities that got him to the top in the first place.

Don’t kid yourself. Melvin is a tough tough dude and he gets better every fight. This was a huge win for Paulo in a fight where he was actually the underdog

by EazyEismydad on Jul 20, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions

Why? Is Jake Shields going to fight Josh Rafferty next? Filho is near the top of the rankings and Alex is no where near there. This fight has no upside for Paulo outside of a paycheck

by EazyEismydad on Jul 20, 2009 3:40 PM EDT reply actions