What (the hell) is wrong with Paulo Filho?

One of the most dangerous fighters in Japan a few years ago was Brazilian Paulo Filho, a stocky middleweight with intimidating jiu-jitsu and the ability to smother and dominate his opponents. Filho rattled-off wins against top competition in PRIDE FC, defeating Amar Suloev, Ninja Rua, Ryo Chonan, and Kazuo Misaki. The undefeated black belt from Rio looked to be on his way to greatness in the sport of MMA. His first trip to the United States was a successful one. Filho pounded-out veteran Joe Doerksen in the first round of his WEC debut in 2007, winning the vacant WEC Middleweight Championship in the process. The bout set up a title defense against Chael Sonnen in his next bout. But in the year between defeating Misaki at the Yokohama Arena and going up against Sonnen Las Vegas, something fractured. Filho began having serious psychological issues compounded by substance abuse. He won his title defense against Sonnen in controversial fashion--after being controlled for most of the fight, Filho locked-in an armbar submission that caused Sonnen to cry out in anguish. The referee mistook Sonnen's screams for surrender and stopped the bout. Sonnen contested the loss and was awarded a rematch but that fight was postponed when Filho checked into a rehabilitation centre.

Fast forward to this past week. Filho badly missed weight for his scheduled rematch with Sonnen and thereby cancelled the fight as planned. The two fighters went on with a three-round non-title bout instead. But during the fight Filho was disoriented, distracted, and possibly suffering from dellusions. At several points during the bout Filho stared off into space as if hearing voices. He offered his chin and his leg to Sonnen fearlessly. But most telling of all, Filho attempted virtually no attacks during the fight, leading to an overwhelming decision victory for Sonnen, who admitted after the fight he was stunned and perplexed at what had transpired.

So, I ask you, what the hell is wrong with Paulo Filho?
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New update: Filho reportedly agreed to hand over the belt if he lost the fight, despite the fact it wasn't an official title bout. Did he follow through? No.

 

Update: Filho is going to give Sonnen the belt after all. Just in time for it to be rendered meaningless as the middleweights are leaving the WEC for good.