(Video courtesy of YouTube/Cyberplex)
Last week Porto do Vale Tudo published an interview with Paulo Filho in which the troubled former WEC middleweight champion denied reports that he was dangerously addicted to Rohypnol again and in hopeless financial debt. According to Filho, his friend Rodrigo Riscada, whom he lived with for the better part of the last five months and who was acting as his manager, has yet to pay him the money he received for his last two bouts and is spreading lies about his addiction and financial woes, which Paulo says are simply untrue.
Riscada responded to the interview this week and revealed that Filho’s issues are serious and if left untreated could lead to his untimely death.
According to Riscada, Filho is taking upwards of 60 roofies per day and on top of the potentially lethal dosage of GHB, he is injecting four vials of the veterinary steroid potenai daily as well.
(Riscada and Filho before their falling out.)
Although Filho says he’s clean, Riscada paints a different picture of sleeping on the floor beside Paulo’s bed and hiding his stash from the embattled fighter to make sure he wasn’t sneaking off to use drugs.
“I don’t want to debate this situation any longer, but I can’t watch idly as Paulao, or someone representing him, slanders me. Due to everything I’ve been through with Paulao, I can affirm that he is not well and does not go one day without taking Roupinal and Potenei. All one needs to do is go up to him to see the explicit needle marks on both of his arms. Paulao must be hospitalized immediately, or else he will die.
I did what was possible and even impossible in order to free him from his addictions, but I was unsuccessful. Even his mother knows I speak the truth, just like all of his closest friends do. I feel sad, because his illness has made him turn against all those who have tried to help him. I wish I filmed the reaction of the first doctor I took him to when the doctor was told of the daily dosages. It a miracle that nothing has happened to him yet.
Paulao has refused to take any alternative medicines instead of Potenai. I did everything, I gave him food, medical assistance, psychiatrist, I allowed him to stay in my family’s house, and he was treated as a son by all. I spent days hiding medications from him so that he would not take them, in an attempt to reduce his dosages.I slept on the floor by his side, with the lights on since he cannot sleep in the dark. Actually I did not sleep, I napped since he does not sleep. I spent night after night in this routine, and I believe no one would have done the same.”
Riscada also addressed Filho’s claim that he witheld monies owing to him for his X-Combat and Amazon Forest Combat bouts, pointing out that “Ely” had amassed a large pharmacy debt for his drugs that he had to take care of and that Paulo recently dropped $18,000 on dogs for his pitbull breeding program and roosters for his cockfighting venture.
“It is necessary to clarify that I never said that Paulao owed R $20 thousand in Campos, but that his mother told me that he owed certain amounts in Niteroi, and that the group that has helped him until now would unite in order to help him pay.He alleges that he has no received anything from me, but he purchases $1o,000 worth of dogs, and $8,000 more worth of roosters in Campos. Everything was paid to Paulao, and whatever he decided to buy is his problem. I will not give him one more [dollar].
I already spent a lot on him. He said he had a monthly allowance/help. Where does you think that came from? All his expenditure came directly or indirectly from me. Paulao arrived in Campos with one change of clothes, and taking 60 doses of Rohypnol and 4 vials of Potenai together per day.
Two weeks ago he gave me the biggest emotional scare, and had to buy 4 cases of Rohypnol. I have witnesses to all of the bills I have paid and money I gave for him, and they are people that helped him together with myself, genuine and sober people like me. I will affirm it again: if he does not accept hospitalization (rehab) his life will have a tragic and sad end.
I consider him my brother, I don’t know why he did this to me. He knows how much I make, and I have ways to prove it. What was discounted from his purse and not passed on were the plane tickets and his purse bonuses. That was not done by me, but was done by the event itself. I don’t want to be paid, but it is him who owes me, and he owes me more than money, he owes me his life. I can’t charge him for that however, because he cannot repay that, because in my opinion, life is repaid through gratitude and not with money. He is being ungrateful, saying the same things, that he is clean, that no one pays him, that all who help him or who have helped him owe him… it is the same story for more than 10 years.”
As with most drugs, one of the main telltale signs that a person is using GHB is that they become chronic liars and do whatever it takes to convince people that they don’t have a problem. After more than two years of addiction, it’s unlikely that Paulo has licked his dependancy on the date rape drug.
If the performances the last few years by the once dominant PRIDE star are any indicator, he’s likely just fighting to fuel his habit and not to get back to the top tier of the sport.
Apparently roofies are a helluva drug.