Once considered one of the best middleweight fighters on the planet, Paulo Filho, added another bad performance to his MMA resume.
A former WEC middleweight champion and Pride star, Filho replaced Francimar Barroso on Selva MMA’s main event on Sunday night, and fought to a draw against UFC veteran Rodney Wallace after five rounds of action in Brazil.
Wallace dominated the fight, but the rules of the event determined that a fight would be declared a draw if neither of the athletes got the finish via knockout or submission. The result stopped Wallace’s four-fight win streak, all of which occurred in Brazilian events.
“In a fight without submission of knockout, a draw is fair,” Filho told the media after the light heavyweight contest. “I felt some of his punches, got dizzy, but that doesn’t mean I won. (Wallace) was better. I got tired, but never gave up.”
Four of the nine fights of the card were declared a draw due to lack of finishes.
Filho, who is now 23-5-2 in MMA, is expected to return to the ring in October at Bitetti Combat, according to sources close to the fighter.