14-0 mixed martial artists Paulo Filho has nearly reached an agreement with Zuffa owned World Extreme Cagefighting on fighting for the organization. The deal was first reported in Tatame and says Filho will compete in 3-4 events in the organization starting as early as July.

The Brazilian Top Team member is a top 5 middleweight fighter and bringing him under the Zuffa banner is yet another great acquisition following the signings of “Shogun” Rua, Antontio Rodrigo Nogueira, and Dan Henderson.

Filho has dominated Pride Bushido winning his last match in the semifinals of the welterweight grand prix but he was forced to withdraw from the finals due to a knee injury.

Recent rumors indicated Filho may come immediately to the UFC, being offered the main event fight against Rich Franklin at UFC 72. Reportedly Franklin had no desire to face Filho and opted for Yushin Okami instead.

The signing is likely intended to give Filho further MMA experience, specifically inside a cage, likely preparing him for the UFC.