WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho has disgraced himself this week, from failing to make weight for WEC 36 to putting together a terrible performance in losing to Chael Sonnen, and finally, backing out on his vow to give up the title belt if he lost to Sonnen. Here's Sonnen after the fight when asked about Filho's vow to hand over the belt if Sonnen won:
"That hasn't happened. I did hear that rumor, he said he would surrender, that he would count this as a championship match," he said. "And I would have accepted. I'm that desperate for the championship and to have that goal fulfilled. I would have humbly accepted the belt from him, but no, he didn't offer it."
The WEC is getting rid of the middlweight division anyway, but I think the organization should officially declare Sonnen, and not Filho, its last middleweight champion.
Said Sonnen of Filho's failure to make weight and the WEC's subsequent decision to make their fight a non-title contest, "It was heartbreaking. It really hurt me a lot. I kind of went through the denial phase to make it through the 24 hours. I've worked really hard and I really wanted to get that championship."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-06-2008 @ 2:00PM
keith a said...
paulo doucho
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11-06-2008 @ 3:30PM
Fair... said...
Paulo should surrender the belt. Had he actually made weight he might have been knocked out instead of just soundly beaten. What is the use in carrying a belt around if everyone knows you were beat fair in square by a lighter man.
ps. I do wish Sonnen would have thrown some real punches in the third round.
dd
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11-06-2008 @ 9:47PM
Zacchaeus said...
I couldn't believe what I was watching last night. I was rooting for Chael and really wanted to see him get the title. For Filho to come into that fight 7 pounds over and then act surprised that Chael was mouthing off to him for it is beyond me. I would have hit him with a chair and walked off on this clearly frustrating chain of events. Of course Chael is a much better person at handling his rage than I am =). I don't feel bad for Filho at all. I feel bad for Chael. He got screwed by the ref in the first match. Yeah he was caught pretty tight but was in a position where he could have stepped over pretty easily. Then Mother Nature screws him and he has to wait longer for his 2nd chance. Then the time finally comes and the "champ" can't get his head right to make weight. Then after all that he totally makes the "champ" look terrible and doesn't even get to walk out with the title. To hell with "poor Filho" poor Chael.
If Filho isn't mentally capable to defend his championship, then he should be stripped of it. In fact, he should have manned up and put that belt around Chael's waist after embarrassing his self and the sport.
I really can't put into words how I really feel about that situation.
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