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Breaking News: Filho in Clinic, Out of WEC Fight
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:11 pm
by NWOWolfpack
http://www.Sherdog.comPaulo Filho will not defend his WEC middleweight crown against Chael Sonnen on March 26, his manager, Jorge Guimaraes, told Sherdog.com.
"We tried our best with Filho, but it didn't work and he'll not fight in the WEC," Guimaraes said. "He tried with all his effort to accomplish the title defense, but he realized he couldn't do it due to chemical dependence and depression. He knew this kind of stuff does not have a link with the sport, and I'm happy he had a conscience and looked for help."
Filho had disappeared for two days, causing immense concern for his teammates and Guimaraes. He ended up checking himself into a rehabilitation clinic in Niteroi, Brazil.
Guimaraes couldn't say for certain how long Filho will stay under treatment, but he suggested the fighter will stay at the clinic until he is 100 percent. Filho is feeling better, Guimares said, after 48 hours of treatment. Guimaraes declined comment on the root of his chemical dependence.
"The WEC staff was superb with us," the manager added. "They understood the situation, and Filho will return and defend his belt in June. Filho also realized who his real friends are, and he took this lesson seriously. He'll come back victorious from this tough moment and he will be supported, as mentioned, by his real friends."
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:39 pm
by ArmyofDarkness
VERY DISSAPOINTING, HE NEEDS TO GET HIS SHIT TOGETHER BEFORE HIS FATHER EXPLODES.
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 6:19 pm
by broncofan
I wonder what kind of DRUGS he was taking
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:04 pm
by Natedawgtham
Good for him, He would have been stopped late in the fight if he didn't do this. In June he will be back to 100% and he will be unstoppable again and he will make that dude look like a chump!!
Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 10:16 pm
by Rattlesnake840
good move by him, if he got in there with his head jacked up he would of got beat.
Posted: Sat Mar 15, 2008 7:34 pm
by NWOWolfpack
Chael Sonnen spoke with
http://www.MMAMadness.com to give his reaction to learning of Paulo Filho's withdrawl from their planned rematch:
Where there is smoke, there is fire. I have a new teammate at Team Quest named Fabiano Scherner. He is friends with Filho and told me that he was about 230 pounds and wasn’t going to make weight. So I was kind of expecting this. It certainly wasn’t devastating news. Almost from the moment I heard of the rematch, I felt it would never happen.
About two weeks ago, Fabiano let me know that something was unraveling. Filho let me know through Fabiano, you know, sportsman-to-sportsman. It was his manager that kept insisting the fight was on. I just don’t understand that. The last thing you want to do is piss off Zuffa and Dana White.
-Interesting quote.
Posted: Sun Mar 16, 2008 3:05 pm
by TheBrokenVow
Filho seems like a stand-up guy, cocky, but stand-up guy.
Posted: Tue Mar 18, 2008 4:00 pm
by NWOWolfpack
World Extreme Cagefighting on Monday announced that Chael Sonnen, originally scheduled to challenge Paulo Filho for his middleweight title, will now face Bryan Baker in a non-title bout on March 26 in Las Vegas.
The Sonnen vs. Filho title bout fell apart last week when Filho withdrew from the bout and checked himself into a rehabilitation clinic in Brazil to treat a substance problem.
Baker was originally scheduled to face Logan Clark on March 26.