Former World Extreme Cagefighting middleweight champion Paulo Filho’s career took another turn for the worse last week when Zuffa LLC, parent company of both the WEC and UFC, released the troubled Brazilian from his contract.

Filho’s manager, Ed Soares, confirmed his client’s release on Tuesday. Filho -- who suffered his first career loss in a bizarre and uninspiring performance against Chael Sonnen at WEC 36 on Nov. 5 -- had one fight remaining on his contract, according to Soares. Zuffa representatives did not provide the middleweight or his manager with a reason for his dismissal.

“They don’t have to,” Soares said. “It was obvious why.”

Once universally received as one of the world’s premier 185-pound fighters, Filho’s has been a rapid fall. He was behind in his first bout with Sonnen before he snatched a second-round armbar, and he mounted virtually no offense in their rematch. To make matters worse, he came into the second fight four pounds overweight, which forced the WEC to switch the bout to a non-title affair.

“Before the fight, I thought he was ready,” Soares said. “I thought he looked good. Obviously, by his performance, he wasn’t. Back to the drawing board.”

Filho’s ailing father, who bears the same name, remains one of his son’s most ardent supporters despite his deteriorating health. The 68-year-old, who has undergone three heart surgeries, also serves as his son’s toughest critic.

“He deserved to lose,” his father said. “Fortunately, he gave his belt to Sonnen after the fight. I hope that this first loss can wake him up, because I always tell him when things start wrong, they finish wrong.”

The elder Filho believes his son’s lack of commitment to proper training led him to this dead end in his career. A few weeks ago, Filho seemed ticketed for the UFC. Now, he faces limited options as he tries to get his life and mixed martial arts career back on solid ground.

“He didn’t realize how professional this sport is nowadays,” his father said. “He didn’t have training partners or sparring partners and had just one boxing coach. How can one coach substitute for a whole training center?”

Soares -- who also manages reigning UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva -- points to Filho’s father’s poor health and recent bouts with depression and substance abuse when discussing his current state.

“He’s had a rough year,” Soares said. “He needs to get focused, start training again and start taking this thing a little more seriously. That’s not to say that he wasn’t taking it seriously before. He needs to focus on getting through this year. His father’s not doing well, he had his first loss … he’s had a lot to absorb.”

Filho’s father, who turns 69 in December, still believes his son can reclaim his spot as one of the sport’s elite competitors. Still only 30, the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt rose to prominence inside the Pride Fighting Championships promotion, where he scored victories against Ryo Chonan, Kazuo Misaki and one-time Elite XC middleweight champion Murilo "Ninja" Rua.

“When he fought ‘Ninja’ he was in his best shape,” his father said. “If he’s in his best shape, I don’t see anyone who can beat him in the [middleweight] or [light heavyweight] divisions. You can ask many top fighters who trained with him, like [Antonio Rodrigo] ‘Minotauro’ [Nogueira], [Ricardo] Arona, Frank Mir and Anderson Silva what it means when Paulo Filho’s in good shape. I truly hope that after this defeat he starts to work in the proper manner. Otherwise, it will be the biggest waste of talent in MMA history.”

Filho (16-1) thinks his loss to Sonnen and the post-fight fallout will prove to be turning points. He plans to move to Los Angeles in an effort to rebuild his image and career.

“My dad and my mom are two of the most important things in my life, and I will not disappoint them or my fans anymore,” he said. “I have no excuses. [Sonnen] went there and did his job to neutralize me, and that’s what happened. He did the right job and deserves all the credit.”

Soares has high hopes for a man who opened his professional MMA career with 16 consecutive victories -- more than a third of them by submission.

“Paulo’s a true warrior who’s going through some issues in his life now,” Soares said. “You learn a lot more from your losses than you do your wins. Hopefully, he’ll take these negatives and turn them into something positive.”

Brian Knapp contributed to this report.