During the few weeks before a typical UFC card, the MMA community is in a motivated state. Fans are debating fans on which fighters will win their matchups. Other fans are arguing over who a fighter should fight next if they win their matchup at the event. Other people are discussing strategy and style breakdowns. The list goes on of the multitude of topics that one can create and reply to on the barrage of forums that stretch across the landscape of the MMA community. Apparently, Paulo Filho wasn't paying attention when nearly every single radio show, podcast, MMA website, or forum poster stated that Chael Sonnen will most likely try to pound your face apart.

In an article over at Sherdog.com, Paulo Filho gave them a quote that makes you want to ask the question, why would you think that?

"He came with a strong tactic, which confused me because I thought he came to take me down, but he started striking me -- used a good tactic," Filho said. "Thank God I could control myself in the fight, and it has its positive side because everyone sees me only on top controlling my opponent, and this time they saw me underneath, overcoming difficult situations."

Paulo Filho was nearly out of this fight in the first round, and he was getting himself into some trouble during the second as well. The one factor that came into play when strategizing what should happen in this fight was Filho's ground game. Everybody knows that the guy has freakish strength, I mean, he looks like a shaved gorilla. The man has monster power and as Frank Mir stated during the WEC broadcast - "The guy snaps limbs.".

Sonnen's gameplan was to pound Filho out either by standing with him and beating him in the striking war or putting him to the canvas and beating him with some ground and pound action. As we saw during the fight, Sonnen's gameplan changed from standing with Filho and waiting out an upset victory to trying to end the fight by pounding on Filho and being submitted by near arm breakage. You can't refute the fact that Sonnen's poor decision making skills sunk him.

Here's my problem with Filho's logic. Did Filho not scout out Chael Sonnen? Is his manager or group of fighters around him seriously just oblivious to gameplanning a fight? Filho says that he was "confused" because Sonnen came out striking? Really? My perspective of the way it was going to go down was that Sonnen would come out swinging to avoid getting into your guard, Filho. For the most part, Sonnen was following that gameplan until he got carried away and tried to end it while in your gorilla grip guard.

What's even more odd is that in the article, Filho mentions the fact that he noted Sonnen's weak submission defense:

"I noted also in fights that he lost, he was always surprised by the opponent who was underneath, by a triangle or an armbar," Filho said. "I got some good positions from where I could try to put him down, but I feared getting exhausted, getting tired and jeopardizing the rest of the fight. I felt that he was already well out of gas and that at anytime he would leave something open. He was no longer a threat to knock me out or do anything."

So, he apparently at least did some preliminary scouting on Sonnen's fights. You know Sonnen has problems against submissions, you know that he has a strong takedown defense and that he's a world class wrestler. To me, that screams striking until the opportunity to wreck you on the ground presents itself after he clips you.

Overall, I was impressed by the fact Filho was able to recover from the blows he was taking, but next time, Filho should definitely consider a bit more research into the typical gameplans that Sonnen has instituted in his fights and maybe the history of his opponent. Sonnen does not have great submission defense, it would have been logical to conclude that maybe he would come out with the mindset of popping you in the face while sprawling to avoid your takedowns.