phil baroni ultimate fighting

Love him or hate him (invariably you’ll find yourself doing one or the other) Phil Baroni is an exciting fighter the fans love to watch. Baroni seemed to come from nowhere before his debut in the UFC octagon, but he has a rich pedigree in the fighting arts being an all-American wrestler and fighting in Toughman contests as well as being a pro-kick boxer.

Within four matches of his debut, he was fighting a world-class opponent in the form of Matt Lindland. Bouncing back from a decision loss, he TKO’d veteran Dave Menne in a brutal display of raw power at UFC 39. Baroni fought Lindland again recently at UFC 41, only to find himself on the wrong end of a decision once more. Undeterred, he has vowed to avenge this loss, only to find himself set back by a horrific injury.

Baroni is one of those people who cannot help but run his mouth off. People think it is merely the product of his "New York Badass" persona, but personally I think there is no difference between the NY Badass and the real thing. It really is a case of what you see is what you get. One point that cannot be ignored is that Phil is a funny guy- he has a reputation as being a bit of a "jackass", and he is constantly cracking jokes and ripping the piss. He steps on peoples toes left right and centre and has the ability to get under almost anyone’s skin, but the fact of the matter is this- Phil is an exciting fighter fans love to watch, because wherever he is, you know there will be something going on.

He is a little subdued at present though- a torn pectoral has seen Baroni sidelined for 6 months to a year, and we will have to wait until we see this warrior back in the Octagon.

I met up with him in the gym of his apartment complex out in the suburbs of Las Vegas. Helping to prepare King of the Cage Super Heavy Weight title contender Eric Pele for his upcoming fight, Phil took time to talk with me about his career.

Hywel Teague : So your background was wrestling to being with…

Phil Baroni : Yeah, I’m a two time all American wrestler, got a scholarship to wrestle at Michigan. I studied psychology and minored in nutrition.

And then you entered the Toughman contests?

Phil Baroni : Yeah I was just messing around.

It was an excuse to fight?

Phil Baroni : Yeah, exactly (laughs)

So what was your first exposure to NHB?

Phil Baroni : I watched it on cable, UFC 2 was the first one I saw, I got UFC 1 on tape and I’ve been watching it ever since.

So where did the decision to fight MMA come from?

Phil Baroni : Well, like I said in an interview on TV, I can’t sing and dance and it beats working everyday.

Your training freelance at the moment…

Phil Baroni : Yeah, I train freelance. Mark Laimon is my Jiu-Jitsu coach, One-Kick-Nick is my kickboxing coach, and I do a lot of boxing at Nevada partners. I’ve got some good guys that I work with.

Whats your training like in the run-up for a fight?

Phil Baroni : Normally I train 5-6 days a week 8 hours a day. I break it up the same as anyone else, I do my grappling, my kickboxing, my boxing. I don’t do weights anymore, I just do my cardio. I never lift weights.

How would you describe yourself as a fighter?

Phil Baroni : I just like to get in there and mix it up. I’m just a brawler, and I know the fans enjoy it. When its all said and done, people wanna see action.

What do you think has been the best moment in your fight career so far?

Phil Baroni : My fight with Dave Menne was the best so far. It was a quick fight, I trained real hard for it, and it came out just the way I expected it to.

And the worst moment in your career?

Phil Baroni : Losing to Matt Lindland, and then the second time. That was the worst one. If I fought the guy 100 times, I’d win 98 of them, without a doubt. And then coming home and tearing my pec, those two things combined have been the worst.

You’ve injured your pectoral muscle pretty badly, how long will you be out?

Phil Baroni : They say a year, I say 6 months. I’ve never been hurt like this so we’ll have to see how long it takes.

It must be pretty frustrating not to be able to train and to be out of the game for so long.

Phil Baroni : I hate training; I’m always looking for an excuse not to go, now the one time I can’t, I wanna train! Being out of the game, I was just starting to get the ball rolling. It’s a shitty time to leave.

You’ve been moonlighting as a commentator?

Phil Baroni : Yeah, I had a good time doing that. I got into trouble for making fun of Lisa Dergen at the end of the show! Other than that it was a good time.

A lot of people agreed with you and weren’t too impressed with her.

Phil Baroni : Yeah I know, but I just got yelled at right now, I just got a call from Dana White (laughs).

What are your thoughts on the last show?

Phil Baroni : It was a good show, and there were a lot of good fights. Genki Sudo maybe should have won the decision…

What is your opinion of the refereeing?

Phil Baroni : The referees are human, they do their job.

How about your thoughts on the MW division at the moment? Some people think its at a bit of a low point with only you and Matt Lindland the really noticeable fighters?

Phil Baroni : Nah, there’s a lot of good fighters, there’s a lot of good guys, I don’t know how you can say that. I think the ONLY division that’s real tough and in order at the moment is the welterweight division, it’s rare there aren’t any scandals going on, being the fight game you gotta expect this things. There are a lot of tough guys out there in every division, I think.

So who would you like to fight?

Phil Baroni : That guy Loiseau, who just knocked out the English guy, I’d like to knock him out.

What can the fans expect from Phil Baroni in the future?

Phil Baroni : I’ll be back man, I got stabbed in my head and they told me I’d never do athletics again, I separated my shoulder and they told me I’d need surgery and I’d never do anything again, no wrestling or nothing and I came back from that. They told me I’d never be the same after tearing my pec, but I probably won’t be the same, I’ll be better.

Sounds good, we look forward to seeing you back. Thanks for your time.

Phil Baroni : Thanks a lot.

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