Paulo Filho's performance at WEC 31 was far from impressive. In fact, Chael Sonnen stuck it to Paulo Filho early in the fight with much crisper and quicker standup than the Brazilian had predicted. Sonnen dropped Filho, and began working a ground and pound game that saw Filho nearly losing the fight. The one key skill that Filho had to defend himself with was great jiu-jitsu. Filho used his overwhelming power and grappling prowess to eventually submit Sonnen in a controversial ending.

Now, Sonnen will get a rematch with Filho for the Middleweight title in March, the last fight for Filho at 185 pounds. Filho's boxing coach confirmed to Tatame.com that he will move up to the Light Heavyweight division after the fight, look out Doug Marshall.

Henderson talks about Filho

In a related story, MMANews.com did an interview with Sonnen's teammate and UFC fighter Dan Henderson. He was quoted as saying:

MMANews.com:What are your thoughts on Paulo Filho?

Dan Henderson: I don’t think he has been very impressive in his last two performances since coming to the US but I think that’s what not being able to use Steroids will do to you.

MMANews.com:Are you saying Filho may be a juicer?

Dan Henderson: Well that’s my opinion anyway. He hasn’t looked good since he left Pride.

MMANews.com: Was steroid abuse a problem in Pride?

Dan Henderson: People didn’t get tested.

First and foremost, I don't agree with his statements. Paulo Filho more than likely has used steroids, but he is using Filho's poor performances as a basis for his argument. The fact is that Filho has still been powerful in his matchup. He clipped Doerksen and sent him home, and he used his raw power and jiu-jitsu to finally catch Sonnen's arm that was more than likely going to be broken off at the joint.

Secondly, Filho's fight with Doerksen ended rather quickly, although it was fairly sloppy. Filho still managed to end the fight with striking, a skill that Filho is not well trained in. It's known throughout the MMA world that Filho is a horrible boxer, and really only has the strength to knockout opponents, not the technical prowess. If that fight had went to the floor, I think Doerksen would have been overwhelmed.

Sonnen had much better striking, and was able to keep Filho at bay for most of the fight, but the difference in the matchup was Sonnen's submission defense. It was absolutely terrible. When you get your arm caught multiple times and barely escape an appendage being tore off your body, there is a problem with recognizing danger in the guard.

Lastly, Filho won the damn fights. He won. It was sloppy, but he still managed to pull out two victories. Yeah, Sonnen isn't a top 10 middleweight, but he is an Olympic caliber wrestler with some decent standup skills. The fact that Filho cuts down from well over 200 pounds would hurt anyone's chances.

It sounds to me like Henderson is bitter about his teammate's loss. Sonnen will get another chance to prove everyone wrong. Apparently Henderson wants to make himself the Jose Canseco of mixed martial arts, when's the book coming out? Henderson may be right on the money with his assessment, but in my opinion, his argument sounds like a whole lot of crying because his teammate came out on the short end of the stick in his last matchup. Maybe this will heat up some tension for a potential matchup between the two.