Paulo Filho (; born May 24, 1978), is a Brazilian retired mixed martial artist who last competed in the Middleweight division. A professional competitor from 2000 until 2014, Filho was the last WEC Middleweight Champion, and also competed in

PRIDE Pride is a human Emotion, secondary emotion characterized by a sense of satisfaction with one's Identity (philosophy), identity, performance, or accomplishments. It is often considered the opposite of shame or of humility and, depending on conte ...

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...

Pancrase is a Japanese mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Tokyo. It was founded in 1993 by professional wrestlers Masakatsu Funaki and Minoru Suzuki. The name was based on pankration, a fighting sport in the An ...

, DEEP, Impact FC, and the

World Series of Fighting The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

Background

Filho was born in Governador Island to a Jewish-Brazilian dad and a

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

native mom, in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

, he is the only child and was raised in Cocota until he and his family moved to Zona Sul when Filho was eight years old. It was soon after moving to Copacabana in the Zona Sul area of Rio de Janeiro when Filho began training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the Carlson Gracie academy, and then also began training in

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...

, and later

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

. He did extremely well in

competitions and also in jiu-jitsu competitions becoming one of Carlson Gracie protege and he received his Black Belt in Jiu-Jitsu from Carlson Gracie himself when he was 20 years old. Filho has stated in several interviews that his career's goal have always been to defend Jiu-Jitsu and specially the Gracie Family as a whole. He has stated that "It is because of this family that I have everything in my life and for that I am forever grateful" He is well respected in the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu community not just from fans but from high level competitors that have trained with him and consider him to be one of the best in the world. Filho is also a pit bull lover and has a pit bull tattoo in his stomach.

Mixed martial arts career

PRIDE Fighting Championships

During his stint in

, Filho was the only undefeated entrant in the 2006 PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix, but he did not win the tournament as an injury kept him from the tournament finals. In the semi-finals of the tournament on '' PRIDE Bushido 13'', November 5, 2006, Filho defeated

Kazuo Misaki Kazuo Misaki (, born April 25, 1976) is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2013, he was the 2006 PRIDE Welterweight (183 lbs) Grand Prix Champion, and also competed in Sengoku, Pancr ...

by armbar. Unfortunately, Filho suffered a ruptured membrane in his knee during the fight, forcing him to withdraw from the Grand Prix finals match against Denis Kang, who also suffered injury with a torn biceps in the semi-finals. Filho was replaced by Misaki, who went on to defeat an already injured Kang and claim the Grand Prix title. Filho's most notable wins include

, Amar Suloev and Yuki Kondo, as well as Murilo Rua and

Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotion ...

World Extreme Cagefighting

He signed with the World Extreme Cagefighting and fought for the vacant middleweight title on August 5, 2007, at '' WEC 29''. Filho defeated Canadian jiu-jitsu fighter Joe Doerksen via TKO (strikes) at 4:07 of the first round. His first title defense occurred at WEC 31, where he was awarded a controversial win over 2-time National Wrestling Champion Chael Sonnen by armbar at 4:55 in the second round. Due to controversy stemming from the fight stoppage (Sonnen's screams of pain were taken as a verbal submission by the referee, despite his objections), Filho was scheduled to face Sonnen again at WEC 33. However, Filho pulled out of this bout because he had checked into a substance abuse rehab facility. Filho faced Sonnen at WEC 36 on November 5 live on Versus. Filho missed weight for this match, however the contest went ahead as a non-title three round fight. Sonnen dominated the fight and took a unanimous decision victory. Throughout the fight Filho seemed disturbed, disoriented, and confused and his team has associated the episode with his extreme weigh cut. After the WEC's middleweight division was absorbed into the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

in December 2008, Filho became a free agent and decided to take time off as he felt he lost the love for fighting.

DREAM

Filho made his

debut on July 20, 2009, when he took on light heavyweight Melvin Manhoef at Dream 10 in Saitama, Japan. Filho showed great perseverance and a good chin in the fight, weathering an onslaught of strikes from the dangerous Manhoef before executing a powerful takedown that immediately put him in half guard, from which he then swiftly transitioned into a full mount whilst at the same time trapping Melvin's left arm; he quickly secured an armbar to win the bout in the first round. Filho was scheduled to face Yoon Dong-Sik on October 25, 2009, at Dream 12, but failed to show up and was replaced on the card.

Bitetti Combat

Filho made his debut in one of Brazil's top promotions, Bitetti Combat, on September 12, 2009, at Bitetti Combat's 4th event against Argentinian Alex Schoenauer. Filho controlled throughout the whole fight and pulled off a unanimous decision. He then fought Tatsuhiko Nishizaka on December 12, 2009, at Bitetti Combat 5. He easily took the fight to the ground, controlled and secured a Kimura in the very first round. He was scheduled to fight Yuki Sasaki in the main event at Bitetti Combat 6 on February 25, 2010, but it was announced on February 22 that he had withdrawn from the bout due to "personal problems". Later that day, it was confirmed that Filho would in fact be fighting Sasaki. Filho then failed to show for the event's weigh-in, forcing a last minute cancellation of his bout with Sasaki.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Filho was scheduled to face Bellator Fighting Championships Middleweight champion Hector Lombard in a non-title bout on May 13, 2010, at Bellator 18, but Filho pulled out of the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by Jay Silva.

Future

Filho made his

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...

debut and defeated Chilean newcomer Daniel Villegas on June 4, 2010, via first-round submission due to strikes. Filho faced Denis Kang on July 17, 2010, for the Australian-based promotion Impact Fighting Championships. They fought to a draw. In what came as a surprise decision to many, Filho was invited to participate in the ADCC submission grappling championship in Nottingham, England. Filho withdrew prior to the event due to injury. Paulo fought Satoshi Ishii on September 14, 2011. The bout was ruled a draw.

Retirement

On October 19, 2011 Filho made the announcement he would be retiring from Mixed Martial Arts and may or may not fight at KSW. During an interview Filho stated the reason for his retirement was his long struggle with substance abuse, he regretted that he was so far from where he could have been in MMA.

Back from retirement

Filho returned from retirement to face former UFC fighter Dave Branch in the World Series of Fighting 2 event on March 23, 2013. Filho was dominated by Branch in every aspect of the fight and lost a unanimous decision. Filho fought André Muniz at the Bitetti Combat 19 event on February 6, 2014. He again lost via a one sided unanimous decision. Following Melvin Manhoef's knockout of Evangelista Santos at Gringo Superfight 10, Filho, who won their first outing by submission, entered the cage and challenged Manhoef to a rematch. Though Manhoef wasn't asked about the possible fight before the challenge, he later accepted, and GSF promoter Antonio Tolentino announced the rematch would take place in November 2014. Filho was expected to face Amilcar Alves at Fatality Arena 7 on September 21, 2014. However, Filho was pulled from the bout due to an apparent seizure. In an interview with MMAFighting.com, Filho stated that it was personal issues that prevented him from competing. Filho's trainer and personal friend Murilo Bustamante has stated that Filho has not "stepped foot at the academy pre-fight" to most of his bouts since WEC days.

Car accident

In 2017 Filho fractured his hip socket and left hand following a car accident where he crashed into another car. He has made a full recovery and spends his time now speaking with children and teaching Jiu-Jitsu in Rio de Janeiro.

Championships and accomplishments

Brazilian jiu-jitsu

*CBJJ World Championships **1999 ***Black Belt Pesado: 2nd Place **1998 ***Brown Belt Pesado: 2nd Place **1997 ***Purple Belt Pesado: 1st Place *CBJJ Brazilian Championships **2000 ***Black Belt Pesado: 2nd Place **1999 ***Black Belt Pesado: 2nd Place **1998 ***Brown Belt Pesado: 1st Place **1996 ***Blue Belt Pesadíssimo: 1st Place He got his Black Belt in Judo in '96 from Clube de Regatas Flamengo. His black belt in BJJ was awarded in 1998, from Carlson Gracie.

Mixed martial arts

* PRIDE Fighting Championships ** 2006 PRIDE Welterweight Grand Prix Finalist * World Extreme Cagefighting ** WEC Middleweight Championship (One time, Last) ***One successful title defense

Submission grappling

* Abu Dhabi Combat Club ** 2005 ADCC Brazilian Trials Champion

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 23–6–3 , André Muniz , Decision (unanimous) , Bitetti Combat 19 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Manaus Manaus () is the List of capitals of subdivisions of Brazil, capital and largest city of the States of Brazil, Brazilian state of Amazonas (Brazilian state), Amazonas. It is the List of largest cities in Brazil, seventh-largest city in Brazil, w ...

, Amazonas, Brazil , , - , Draw , align=center, 23–5–3 , Rodney Wallace , Draw (time limit expired) , Selva MMA 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rio Branco, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–5–2 , David Branch , Decision (unanimous) , World Series of Fighting 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–4–2 , Murilo Rua , TKO (punches) , Best of the Best: Filho vs. Ninja II , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:47 , Belém, Brazil , , - , Draw , align=center, 22–4–2 , Satoshi Ishii , Draw , Amazon Forest Combat 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–4–1 , Norman Paraisy , Decision (unanimous) , X-Combat Ultra: International Grand Prix , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–3–1 ,

Ronny Markes Ronny Markes (born April 21, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight (MMA), Heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 2007, Markes has formerly competed for the Ultimate Fig ...

, Decision (unanimous) , International Fighter Championship , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 22–2–1 , Jackson Mora , Decision (split) , World Fighting Combat: Pretorian , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, , Yuki Sasaki , Decision (unanimous) , Bitetti Combat 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 20–2–1 , Marcos Rogério de Lima , Decision (unanimous) , First Class Fight 5 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Draw , align=center, 20–1–1 , Denis Kang , Draw (split) , Impact FC 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 20–1 , Daniel Villegas , TKO (submission to punches) , Memorial Fight Qualifying , , align=center, 1 , align=center, N/A ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 19–1 , Tatsuhiko Nishizaka , Submission (kimura) , Bitetti Combat 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 , Barueri, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 18–1 , Alex Schoenauer , Decision (unanimous) , Bitetti Combat 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 , Melvin Manhoef , Submission (armbar) , DREAM 10 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Saitama, Saitama is the capital and largest Cities of Japan, city of Saitama Prefecture, Japan. Its area incorporates the former cities of Urawa, Saitama, Urawa, Ōmiya, Saitama, Ōmiya, Yono, Saitama, Yono and Iwatsuki, Saitama, Iwatsuki. It is a Cities desig ...

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 16–1 , Chael Sonnen , Decision (unanimous) , WEC 36: Faber vs. Brown , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. It is a suburb in the Miami metropolitan area. The population of Hollywood was 153,067 as of 2020, making it the Broward County#Communities, third-largest city in Broward County, th ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–0 , Chael Sonnen , Submission (armbar) , WEC 31 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:55 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–0 , Joe Doerksen , TKO (punches) , WEC 29 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:07 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–0 ,

, Submission (armbar) , PRIDE Bushido 13 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 9:43 ,

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 13–0 , Ryo Chonan , Submission (armbar) , PRIDE Bushido 12 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 12–0 , Gregory Bouchelaghem , Decision (unanimous) , PRIDE Bushido 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Murilo Rua , Decision (unanimous) , PRIDE Bushido 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 ,

Ryuta Sakurai Ryuta Sakurai (born September 8, 1971) is a Japanese mixed martial artist who currently competes in the middleweight division. A veteran who fought for many companies such as Shooto, Pancrase and PRIDE. Nicknamed Mr. DEEP, he is best known f ...

, Submission (armbar) , PRIDE Bushido 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:49 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Amar Suloev , Submission (armbar) , PRIDE Bushido 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Akira Shoji , Decision (split) ,

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, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Daijiro Matsui , Decision (unanimous) , Gladiator FC: Day 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, South Korea , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Silmar Rodrigo , Decision (unanimous) , Bitetti Combat Nordeste 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Akira Shoji , Submission (armbar) , PRIDE 22 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:48 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Yuki Kondo , Decision (unanimous) , DEEP: 2nd Impact , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Pancrase: Proof 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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, Brazil ,

Submission grappling record

, - , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Result , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Opponent , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Method , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Event , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Date , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Round , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Time , align="center" style="border-style: none none solid solid; background: #f0f0f0", Notes , - , Win , Flavio Almeida , (Points) , ADCC Brazilian Trials , 2000 , , , -98.9 kg Final , - , Win , Leo Nagao , (Points) , ADCC Brazilian Trials , 2000 , , , -98.9 kg , - , Win , Fernando Margarida , (Points) , ADCC Brazilian Trials , 2000 , , , -98.9 kg , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Filho, Paulo 1978 births Living people Brazilian male mixed martial artists Middleweight mixed martial artists Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing judo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu World Extreme Cagefighting champions Brazilian practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian male judoka People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu Martial artists from Rio de Janeiro (city)