[Centraal] MMA topic #22 Kimbo Got Smoked

quote:

Op donderdag 6 november 2008 16:31 schreef king_of_the_night het volgende:

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

SPOILER

Om spoilers te kunnen lezen moet je zijn ingelogd. Je moet je daarvoor eerst gratis Registreren. Ook kun je spoilers niet lezen als je een ban hebt.

quote:

The last man to hold the WEC middleweight title before the extinction of the division from the organization, Paulo Filho, has vowed to send his championship belt to Chael Sonnen following Wednesday’s unanimous decision loss at WEC 36.

Originally the bout was scheduled to be for Filho’s title anyway, but the Brazilian weighed in at a staggering seven pounds overweight, forcing officials to adjust the match to a three round non-title affair.

After the weigh-in, representatives from Filho’s camp assured Matt Lindland — who trains Sonnen at Team Quest — that if Sonnen were to win the belt would be handed over in the ring as a sign of respect.

It never happened.

That could be because Filho seemed like he was on another planet during and after the fight. In fact, according to his manager Ed Soares via SI.com, Filho didn’t even know the fight was over when he returned to the locker room following the three round decision.

He was incoherent, delirious and during his post-fight examination he had one pupil dilated much larger than the other, prompting doctors to order him to a local hospital.

Even before he stepped in the cage, Filho was publicly battling depression issues as well as substance abuse problems, which actually led to the rematch getting postponed from March to November 5. It was believed that he had overcome his personal issues and that we’d be seeing the best Paulo Filho in the cage during the fight.

Obviously that wasn’t that case.

Filho was once considered by most to be a top 185-pound mixed martial artist in the world, but he’s clearly not the same man or fighter any longer. Just how far he has fallen is anyone’s gue — he resembles nothing at all close to the fighter or man who was at one time considered to be among the best in the business.

Hopefully, Filho can get the help he needs to get himself together. Honoring his promise to Sonnen — who promised his father on his death bed before the fight the he would win a world title — is a step in the right direction.

quote:

Content with its current stable of heavyweight fighters, which includes a mix of veterans and up-and-comers, the UFC apparently no longer required the services of a widely regarded top 10 competitor.

Fabricio Werdum was unable to come to terms with UFC officials on a new contract after his surprising 81-second knockout loss to Octagon newcomer Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos at UFC 90: “Silva vs. Cote” on October 15, forcing the Brazilian and the promotion to go their separate ways, according to MMAWeekly.com.

“Vai Cavalo” perhaps spoke prematurely (or something was lost in translation) when he declared that he had inked a five-fight contract extension back in July that included a guaranteed title shot with a win over “Cigano.”

It appears that the offer may have been merely discussed and/or was contingent on a win in the “Windy City.” He also could have ruffled some feathers when he voiced his displeasure about being excluded from the mini heavyweight tournament put together to declare an undisputed division champion.

Regardless, Werdum leaves the promotion with an even record (2-2), scoring big wins over Brandon Vera and Gabriel Gonzaga and perhaps bigger losses to Andrei Arlovski and Dos Santos.

He remains a very capable and dangerous fighter who, according to the report, is already courting offers to compete in “The Land of the Rising Sun.” That’s because prior to his UFC run, the Brazilian was a very popular and successful fighter in Pride FC.

In fact, Werdum battled current UFC interim heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera at Critical Countdown Absolute back in July of 2006 for the chance to advance to the semifinals of the PRIDE 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix. “Minotauro” bested Werdum by unanimous decision in what was one of many outstanding fights that night.

While his chances for a rematch anytime soon are now more than likely dashed, rest assured that we will see the Chute Boxe-trained fighter back in action sooner rather than later.