[BCN 6]: Filho si tira indietro per "problemi personali" (25/02/2010)

The personal turbulence surrounding Paulo Filho continues, as the standout middleweight has withdrawn from his scheduled Feb. 25 bout with Yuki Sasaki at Bitetti Combat 6.

Event promoter Amaury Bitetti told Tatame Saturday that Filho was dealing with “personal problems,” and that pulling out of the scheduled bout with Sasaki would be in his best interest, though he hoped Filho would compete on future Bitetti Combat cards. Stepping in for Filho will be former UFC middleweight title challenger Thales Leites, who is coming off of a lackluster decision victory over Dean Lister in December.

The 31-year-old Filho has become known as much for his erratic behavior as his potent grappling. Filho has spoken publicly about his past substance abuse and ongoing depression. His outside-the-cage issues came to a head inside of it in his infamous and bizarre November 2008 bout with Chael Sonnen, in which a despondent Filho waded around the cage in a strange fashion throughout three rounds.

The replacement of Filho was not the only card change Bitetti revealed. Dutch veteran Valentijn Overeem also sustained an undisclosed injury in training, forcing him out of his bout with Brazilian hitter Fabio Maldonado. Maldonado, a sparring partner for Anderson Silva and the Nogueira brothers, will now take on Guto Inocente, one of Brazil's more renowned heavyweight kickboxers.