Philip George Baroni (April 16, 1976) is a retired American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

and former

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

. A professional MMA competitor since 2000, Baroni has competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

PRIDE Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games * ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *'' Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *'' Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *''Marvel Strike Force'', ...

Cage Rage Cage Rage Championships, also known as Cage Rage, was a United Kingdom-based, mixed martial arts promotion that premiered on 7 September 2002 in London. Cage Rage went into liquidation and is now no longer trading. Cage Rage had been owned and ma ...

DREAM A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, althou ...

EliteXC Elite Xtreme Combat, also known as EliteXC, was a United States-based mixed martial arts (MMA) organization owned and operated by ProElite. It was founded as a partnership between Showtime Networks and ProElite and officially announced on Decemb ...

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media cong ...

, BKFC, and

ONE FC ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

Background

Baroni was born Phillip George Baroni in

Massapequa Park Massapequa Park is a village and hamlet located within the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 17,008 at the 2010 census. Areas south and east of the village bo ...

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18th ...

to American parents. His father was a prominent New York attorney and his mother was a homemaker. Phillip attended

Massapequa High School Massapequa High School is a public high school located in Massapequa, New York, United States, for students in grades 10 through 12. As of the 2014-15 school year, the school had an enrollment of 1,825 students and 142.4 classroom teachers (on an ...

where he was on the wrestling team. Baroni grew up having multiple street fights, a precursor to his career. The Baronis were next door neighbors of Jerry Seinfeld's parents. Baroni attended

Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a public community college in Uniondale, New York, using the Garden City, New York ZIP Code. It was founded in 1959 and is part of the State University of New York. History Nassau Community College was crea ...

and became a two time All-American wrestler there, placing fifth and second in the nation. However, during the later part of his senior year he was expelled. Baroni then attended

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a private university in Hempstead, New York. It is Long Island's largest private university. Hofstra originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University (NYU) under the name Nassau College – Hofstra Memorial of Ne ...

before transferring to Central Michigan University on a scholarship, where he was a double major in biology and psychology. He was also an amateur bodybuilder from the age of 17 to 20, competing in six shows, in which he placed either first or second. He studied kickboxing under Keith Trimble, and had seven matches, winning all by knockout. He also competed in 10 amateur boxing matches, also winning all 10 by knockout.

Mixed martial arts career

UFC

Baroni debuted in the UFC in only his second professional fight, at

UFC 30 ''UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey on February 23, 2001. UFC 30 was the first UFC event under th ...

Atlantic City Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, Boardwalk (entertainment district), boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020 United States censu ...

, New Jersey. The bout was against fellow striking specialist Curtis Stout, and Baroni won by unanimous decision. Baroni was an undefeated 3-0 before getting his second fight with the UFC at

UFC 34 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor (company), Endeavor Group Holdings. It ...

against

Matt Lindland Matthew James Lindland (born May 17, 1970), also known as The Law, is an American retired mixed martial artist, Olympic wrestler, speaker, actor, coach, entrepreneur and politician. He won the Oregon Republican Party's nomination for t ...

, whom Baroni would develop a rivalry with later in their careers. Baroni lost the fight by decision, and was handed his first professional loss. However, Baroni would then quickly make a name for himself in the UFC with several impressive stoppage victories. His signature win was a decisive KO victory over former UFC Middleweight Champion

Dave Menne David Jeremy Menne (born July 29, 1974) is an American mixed martial artist. He was the first ever UFC Middleweight Champion and has also competed for Cage Rage, Bellator, Shooto, ADCC and RINGS. Background Menne was born in Minneapolis, Mi ...

on September 27, 2002. Baroni famously jumped on the top of the cage and proclaimed himself to be the "best eva" after the knockout of Menne. Baroni then rematched

to whom he had previously lost to by judges' decision. In their rematch, Baroni suffered a second loss to Lindland by another judges' decision. He was then matched up against a teammate of Matt Lindland, future UFC Middleweight Champion

Evan Tanner Evan Lloyd Tanner (February 11, 1971 – September 5, 2008) was an American professional mixed martial arts fighter. He was a former UFC Middleweight Champion and was the first American to win the Pancrase Neo-Blood tournament in Tokyo, ...

at UFC 45 – Revolution. Baroni dominated the beginning of the match against Tanner, but when the fight was stopped to check a cut on Tanner, Tanner regained his composure and the momentum turned, leading to the referee stopping the fight due to Baroni taking several undefended strikes on the ground. This decision was controversial as the referee Larry Landless had asked Baroni if he wanted to quit. Baroni said he believed he was asked if he wanted to continue, and said "yes". Landless stopped the bout, and was struck by a furious Baroni. Baroni was subsequently suspended for 4 months for striking the official. Upon his return Baroni got a rematch with Tanner at UFC 48 – Payback but went on to lose via decision. Despite losing three fights in a row, the UFC matched Baroni against the relatively unknown

Pete Sell Peter 'Drago' Sell, (born August 5, 1982) is an American mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2002, he has formerly competed for the UFC, and was a competitor on '' The Ultim ...

. Following training with

Enson Inoue Enson Shoji Inoue (; born April 15, 1967) is a Japanese-American jiu-jitsu practitioner and retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1995 until 2010, he fought for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, the UFC, Shoot ...

, Baroni dominated early on with numerous takedowns and a dominant standup, however, Sell secured a

guillotine choke The guillotine choke, also known as Mae Hadaka Jime (前裸絞, "front naked choke"; compare to a rear naked choke) in judo, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from in front of the opponent, often on the ground but can also be done while stan ...

and Baroni appeared to lose consciousness, but then tapped out for the first time in his career thereby ending the fight.

PRIDE

Baroni joined Hammer House soon thereafter and rebounded in Japan's

PRIDE Fighting Championships PRIDE Fighting Championships (Pride or Pride FC, founded as KRS-Pride) was a Japanese mixed martial arts promotion company. Its inaugural event was held at the Tokyo Dome on October 11, 1997. Pride held more than sixty mixed martial arts even ...

promotion with several knockout victories against

Ikuhisa Minowa is a Japanese mixed martial artist and professional wrestler currently competing in IGF as . A professional MMA competitor since 1996, he was a longtime veteran of PRIDE and Pancrase and has also competed in other mixed martial arts promotions ...

Ryo Chonan is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001–2013, Chonan competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DEEP, DREAM, Pancrase, and World Victory Road. Chonan is the former DEEP Middleweight Champion and the fo ...

, and

Yuki Kondo is a Japanese mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. He has officially 111 professional fights, making him one of the most experienced mixed martial artists ever. He has also competed for the UFC, PRIDE, Seng ...

. On June 4, 2006, Baroni was summarily defeated by

, whom he had developed a rivalry with, via unanimous decision in the Bushido

Welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

Grand Prix tournament in 2005. On October 21, 2006 Baroni captured a victory over boxer turned mixed martial artist Yosuke Nishijima via

kimura Kimura (written: lit. "tree village") is the 17th most common Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese novelist *, Japanese footballer *, Japanese botanist *, Japanese idol and singer *, Japanese footballer *, Japanes ...

in the first round at

PRIDE 32 ''Pride 32: The Real Deal'' was a mixed martial arts event and was held by the Pride Fighting Championships. The event took place on October 21, 2006, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Background This was the first Pride event t ...

, PRIDE's first American show. In the post-fight interview Baroni humorously admitted that he did not know the name of the hold he applied and only saw it on television a couple days before the fight.

Feud with Frank Shamrock

Frank Shamrock Frank Shamrock (born Frank Alisio Juarez III; December 8, 1972) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. Shamrock was the first to hold the UFC Middleweight Championship (later renamed the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship) an ...

and Baroni had engaged in a war of words following Shamrock's fight with Renzo Gracie. The two faced off at Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni, a co-promotion between

and

on June 22, 2007 on Pay-Per-View. Shamrock defeated Baroni, knocking him down with punches in the first round and finishing him off with a

rear naked choke The rear naked choke (RNC) is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word "naked" in this context suggests that, unlike other strangulation techniques found in jujutsu/judo, this hold does not require the use of a keiko ...

in the second round. It was ruled a technical

submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...

victory for Shamrock as Baroni was choked unconscious before he could tap. Baroni stated many times that he was not going to tap anyway.

Steroid use

Following the Shamrock fight, the

California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts (MMA) throughout the State by licensing all participants and supervising the events. ...

announced that Baroni tested positive for two types of anabolic steroids,

boldenone Boldenone (developmental code name RU-18761), is a naturally occurring anabolic–androgenic steroid (AAS) and the 1(2)- dehydrogenated analogue of testosterone. Boldenone itself has never been marketed; as a pharmaceutical drug, it is used as ...

and

stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is an androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American pharmaceuti ...

. Baroni appealed the $2500 fine and faced a one-year suspension. Ultimately, the fine was upheld although the suspension was reduced to six months. Baroni had asked that the remaining urine from the test conducted by Quest be sent to the Carlson Company, a laboratory located in

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

. While it did not appear among the 40 facilities recommended by the CSAC, Carlson appealed to the fighter as a rare lab that tested for both DNA and steroids. There was not enough of a sample for the lab to determine the identity of its owner, though Carlson apparently had enough to determine the sample they received from Quest did not contain boldenone or stanozolol.

ICON Sport

Baroni faced Hawaii's Kala Hose on March 15, 2008 for the vacant ICON Sport

Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...

title. Former champion

Robbie Lawler Robert Lawler (born March 20, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist who has been competing since 2001. He is the former UFC Welterweight Champion, former EliteXC Middleweight Champion, and has formerly competed in Strikeforc ...

was stripped of the title due to his inability to defend it on numerous occasions. While Baroni came out strong during the first round of the fight, his stamina began to fade and Hose started to dominate the fight. Hose ultimately defeated Baroni by TKO early in the fifth round to become the new ICON Sport Middleweight Champion.

EliteXC

Baroni fought

Joey Villasenor Joey may refer to: People *Joey (name) Animals * Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial * Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets Film and television * ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horac ...

in the first ever live network television broadcast of MMA on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

. In the beginning of the fight Baroni caught Villasenor's high kick which brought him down to the mat, where Baroni threw punches from guard. Baroni then let Villasenor stand up, Baroni then got struck a few times and was put into a

. Villasenor then let go of the choke and started delivering unanswered punches that dazed Baroni, prompting the referee to stop the fight at the 1:11 mark of the opening round. This was Baroni's second consecutive TKO loss.

Cage Rage

Baroni made his

and

debut at Cage Rage 27 on July 12, 2008, against British fighter Scott Jansen. He began the fight with a takedown, and came close to finishing the fight with an

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, pr ...

with which he appeared to hyper-extend Jansen's arm. Following a standup call from the referee, the two fighters exchanged blows, Baroni throwing a right to the body, followed by a right-handed punch which to Jansen's chin. Jansen dropped, his head bouncing off the floor. Baroni went to check on Jansen and was attacked by Jansen's brother who had made his way into the cage with the cornermen.

Strikeforce

In his second appearance in the promotion, he lost to

Joe Riggs Joseph Jonathan Riggs (born September 23, 1982) is an American professional bare-knuckle boxer and former mixed martial artist who is currently signed to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2001, Riggs formerly c ...

at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields on June 6, 2009 in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...

Scottrade Center The Enterprise Center is an 18,096-seat arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Its primary tenant is the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, but it is also used for other functions, such as NCAA basketball, N ...

Return to UFC

In late 2009 Baroni returned to once again fight in the UFC. He signed a multi-fight deal and his return fight was at

UFC 106 ''UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Background As with UFC 103 and UFC 104, a portion of the preliminary card ai ...

on November 21, 2009 against TUF 7 winner

Amir Sadollah Amir Ali Sadollah ( fa, امیرعلی ﺳﻌدالله, born August 27, 1980) is a retired American mixed martial artist, formerly with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the winner of Spike TV's '' The Ultimate Fighter 7''. He has fough ...

. Sadollah defeated Baroni by unanimous decision. Phil Baroni - UFC 100 Fan Expo - Mandalay Bay Casino, Las Vegas

After a decision loss to Sadollah, Phil Baroni spent 2 months in

Phuket Phuket (; th, ภูเก็ต, , ms, Bukit or ''Tongkah''; Hokkien:普吉; ) is one of the southern provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, the country's largest island, and another 32 smaller islands of ...

, Thailand learning

Muay Thai Muay Thai ( th, มวยไทย, , ), sometimes referred to as Thai boxing, is a combat sport that uses stand-up striking along with various clinching techniques. This discipline is known as the "art of eight limbs", as it is characterised ...

at Tiger Muay Thai (TMT) with legendary coach Kru Yod. He practiced kicks, knees and elbows to improve his striking game. The TMT crew posted videos of Baroni's workouts, showing how the training sessions improved Baroni's stand up technique, and how his work with nutritionists and strength and conditioning coaches had brought Baroni back into good shape in two months. Baroni stated his intention to return to the

division. Baroni was scheduled to face

John Salter John Salter (born March 21, 1985) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Middleweight division of Bellator. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for the UFC and Strikeforce, King of the Cage, and ...

on August 28, 2010 at

UFC 118 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, however he was forced off the card with an injury. Baroni next fought TUF 11 alumnus

Brad Tavares Bradley Kaipo Sarbida Tavares (born December 21, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Tavares currently competes in the middleweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2007, Tavares foug ...

UFC 125 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. After dropping Tavares with a left hook early, Baroni was caught with a high kick in the later part of the round with Tavares eventually securing the TKO victory. At the post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, Baroni said that he was expecting to be cut from

, but would not quit. Baroni was then subsequently released. He left the

with a record of 3 wins and 7 losses.

Post UFC

After his UFC release, less than two weeks later, Baroni signed a new multi-fight contract with

Titan Fighting Championships Titan Fighting Championship (Titan FC) is an American mixed martial arts promotion based out of Pompano Beach, Florida. Their shows were originally run in and near Kansas City and have since expanded to include venues all over North America and e ...

. He fought at Titan Fighting Championships 17 against Nick Nolte. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Baroni returned from shoulder surgery against local favorite Chris Holland on June 2, 2012 at Ring of Fire 43: Bad Blood. Baroni dominated Holland in the first round, taking Holland down multiple times and landing heavy punches that opened a gash above Holland's left eyebrow. Baroni was visibly tired heading into the second round and was rocked by multiple hooks from Holland, Baroni ended up losing via TKO due to punches in the second round.

ONE Fighting Championship

On July 18 it was announced that Baroni would be facing

Yoshiyuki Yoshida (born May 10, 1974) is a Japanese mixed martial artist competing in the welterweight division. A student of former Shooto competitor Noboru Asahi, he has competed in Shooto, Cage Force, and the UFC. On December 1, 2007, he became the first Cage ...

at ONE Fighting Championship: Champion vs. Champion at the

Singapore Indoor Stadium The Singapore Indoor Stadium, known exonymously as the Indoor Stadium, is an indoor arena located in Kallang, Singapore. It is within walking distance of the Singapore National Stadium, and collectively form a part of the wider Singapore Spor ...

on September 3. Baroni lost the fight via unanimous decision. After the fight Baroni had surgery on a shoulder injury which had affected him since college. Baroni was scheduled to face

Roger Huerta Roger Huerta (born May 20, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division. He initially gained exposure by competing in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Bellator Fighting Ch ...

at ONE FC: Destiny of Warriors on June 23 but he was pulled from the fight after his TKO loss to Chris Holland on June 2. On August 31, 2012 Baroni faced Rodrigo Ribeiro at ONE FC: Pride of a Nation. Baroni stunned Ribeiro with the first punch he threw, Baroni chased a wobbly Ribeiro landing heavy punches as the Brazilian retreated; Baroni then knocked Ribeiro down with a punch combination and finished the fight due to soccer kicks and punches just sixty seconds into round one. Baroni became the first man to ever knock out Ribeiro, the 60-second victory marks Baroni's first

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, muay thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

win in over four years. Baroni represented

in a fighter-sharing program at

Dream 18 2012 is the first year in the history of the Glory, an international kickboxing event. 2012 starts with Glory 1: Stockholm, and ends with Dream 18 & Glory 4: Tokyo. The events are broadcasts through television agreements with regional channels a ...

on December 31, 2012 against

Hayato Sakurai also known as , born August 24, 1975, is a Japanese mixed martial artist. A professional competitor since 1996, he has formerly competed for the UFC, PRIDE, DREAM, Shooto, Vale Tudo Japan, DEEP, and participated in the Yarennoka!, Dynamit ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Baroni next appeared on the ONE FC 9: Rise to Power card against Nobutatsu Suzuki. He lost the fight by knockout.

Bellator MMA

It was announced on March 13, 2014 that Baroni had signed a deal with

, and was expected to make his debut against Jesus Martinez on May 2, 2014. However, Baroni was forced out of the bout due to injury and was replaced by Ryan Contaldi. Baroni faced

Karo Parisyan Karapet "Karo" Parisyan ( hy, Կարապետ Փարիզյան; born August 28, 1982) is an Armenian-American mixed martial artist, who last competed in the welterweight division. A professional MMA competitor since 1999, Parisyan is a ...

in his debut fight at

Bellator 122 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

on July 25, 2014. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round and was subsequently released from the promotion.

MMA commentating

Since April 2009, Baroni has occasionally worked as an MMA commentator for the MMA Big Show fight organization,

Tachi Palace Fights Tachi Palace Fights (TPF) was an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion which hosted events at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. Matchmaker for TPF was former fighter Richard Goodman. Regarded as a regional promotion, ...

, and India's

Super Fight League Super Fight League is a mixed martial arts promotion, based in India. The organisation was formed in 2012 by actor Sanjay Dutt and British-Indian businessman Raj Kundra, and is currently co-owned by British-Indian businessman Bill Dosanjh and ...

Professional wrestling

In 2014, Baroni began training to become a professional wrestler at

D'Lo Brown Accie Julius Connor (born October 22, 1970), better known by his ring name D'Lo Brown (also formatted as D-Lo Brown), is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in Impact Wrestling and WWE. Brown is also known for h ...

Pro Wrestling Academy. On March 18, 2016 Baroni was announced to wrestle at Pro Wrestling Syndicate Super Card 2016 against former ECW superstar

New Jack Jerome Young (January 3, 1963 – May 14, 2021) was an American professional wrestler better known by his ring name New Jack. He was best known for his time with Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), where he became notorious for his willingnes ...

on June 11 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. On April 4, 2019 Baroni took part in the second annual

GCW Bloodsport GCW Bloodsport is a professional wrestling event held by the American promotion Game Changer Wrestling (GCW). This event consists of a unique ruleset compared to a traditional pro wrestling event, in that every match must end in either a knockout ...

professional wrestling event. He faced off and defeated Dominic Garrini, however his victory was later overturned to a loss by disqualification after he attacked the referee.

Bare knuckle boxing

In the fall of 2018, Baroni returned to bare knuckle boxing. He faced

Chris Leben Christian Cyrus Leben (born July 21, 1980) is an American former mixed martial artist, referee, and bare knuckle boxer. A professional MMA competitor from 2002 until 2013, he most notably competed in the UFC in the Middleweight division, compili ...

at the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation debut card on November 9, 2018. He lost the fight via TKO in the first round. Baroni was next expected to face fellow UFC veteran Thiago Alves at BKFC 13 on September 19, 2020. However, Baroni was removed from the card due to the organization not being able to reach him, and was replaced by Julian Lane.

Film career

Baroni appeared in several independent films, credited as "Man in Club" and "Weightlifter 2." He was credited in 2018 as มนุษย์ยิม in a Thai film.

Personal life

Baroni was formerly represented by sports agent

Ken Pavia Ken Pavia is a former sports agent, founder of the Huntington Beach, California based sports agency MMAagents and the former CEO of India’s first MMA Promotion Super Fight League. From 2005 to September 2011 Pavia represented a client roster of ...

, but after his move to

American Kickboxing Academy The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) is a martial arts gym based in San Jose, California. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts (MMA). In 2014, AKA opened the ''AKA Thailand'' gym in Phuket, Thailand. Prominent trainers ...

, Baroni was managed by Bob Cook and DeWayne Zinkin of Zinkin Entertainment and Sports Management. Baroni is now managed by pro MMA fighter and professional wrestler Matt "The Granimal" Granahan's the American Combat Association since his move to professional wrestling along with other UFC stars turned pro wrestlers, such as

Kamal Shalorus Kamal Shalorus (; born 26 August 1973) is an Iranian-born British professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of ONE Championship. A professional competitor since 2008, Shalorus has also formerly competed for the U ...

and UFC Hall of Famers Stephan Bonnar and

Dan Severn Daniel DeWayne Severn (born June 8, 1958), nicknamed "The Beast", is an American professional wrestler, retired mixed martial artist and amateur wrestler. A UFC Hall of Fame member, Severn is considered one of the leading pioneers of mixed mart ...

. Before becoming a professional fighter, Baroni worked various jobs including construction, delivering pizzas, bouncing, and as a car salesman.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 16–19 , Sai Wang , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Rebel FC 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:10 ,

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 16–18 , Matt Lagler , TKO (punches) , KOTC: Under Siege , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 ,

Alpine, California Alpine is a census-designated place (CDP) in the Cuyamaca Mountains of San Diego County, California. Alpine had a population of 14,696 at the 2020 census, up from 14,236 at the 2010 census. The town is largely surrounded by the Cleveland Nation ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–18 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:06 ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corporation, i ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–17 , Nobutatsu Suzuki , TKO (punches) , ONE FC: Rise to Power , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:17 ,

Pasay Pasay, officially the City of Pasay ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasay; ), is a 1st class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, i ...

, Philippines , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–16 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

DREAM 18 2012 is the first year in the history of the Glory, an international kickboxing event. 2012 starts with Glory 1: Stockholm, and ends with Dream 18 & Glory 4: Tokyo. The events are broadcasts through television agreements with regional channels a ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 15–15 , Rodrigo Ribeiro , TKO (soccer kicks and punches) , ONE FC: Pride of a Nation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:00 ,

Manila, Philippines Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populated ...

, , - , Loss , align=center, 14–15 , Chris Holland , TKO (punches) , Ring of Fire 43: Bad Blood , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:50 ,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–14 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , ONE FC 1: Champion vs. Champion , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the no ...

, Singapore , , - , Win , align=center, 14–13 , Nick Nolte , Decision (unanimous) , Titan Fighting Championships 17 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–13 ,

, KO (knees and punches) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:20 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–12 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–11 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–10 , Olaf Alfonso , Decision (unanimous) , PFC 10: Explosive , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Lemoore,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–10 , Ron Verdadero , TKO (punches) , ICON Sport: Hard Times , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:51 ,

Honolulu Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–10 , Scott Jansen , KO (punch) , Cage Rage 27 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:20 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–10 ,

Joey Villaseñor Joey Simon Villaseñor (born October 17, 1975) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 1999 until 2012, Villasenor competed for the PRIDE Fighting Championships, Strikeforce (mixed martial arts), St ...

, TKO (punches) , EliteXC: Primetime , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:11 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–8 ,

, Technical Submission (rear-naked choke) , Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Baroni , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:00 ,

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popul ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–7 , Yosuke Nishijima , Technical Submission (kimura) , PRIDE 32 The Real Deal , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:20 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–7 ,

Kazuo Misaki Kazuo Misaki (born April 25, 1976) is a retired Japanese professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2001 until 2013, he was the 2006 PRIDE Welterweight (183 lbs) Grand Prix Champion, and also competed in Sengoku, Pancrase ...

, Decision (unanimous) , PRIDE Bushido 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , Saitama, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 9–6 ,

, KO (punch) ,

PRIDE Bushido 10 The year 2006 was the 10th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2006 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 31 - Unbreakable''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:25 ,

, Japan , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–6 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

PRIDE Bushido 9 The year 2005 is the 9th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2005 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 29 - Fists of Fire''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters The ...

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 8–5 ,

, KO (punch) ,

PRIDE Bushido 8 The year 2005 is the 9th year in the history of the Pride Fighting Championships, a mixed martial arts promotion based in Japan. 2005 had 10 events beginning with, ''Pride 29 - Fists of Fire''. Title fights Debut Pride FC fighters Th ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:40 ,

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most pop ...

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 7–5 ,

, TKO (stomps) , PRIDE Bushido 7 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:04 ,

, Japan , , - , Win , align=center, 6–5 , Chris Cruit , Submission (armbar) , Extreme Fighting Challenge 11 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–5 ,

, Submission (guillotine choke) ,

UFC 51 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MM ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 4:19 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 48 ''UFC 48: Payback'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 19, 2004, at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and was late ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–3 ,

, TKO (punches) ,

UFC 45 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:42 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ea ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 41 ''UFC 41: Onslaught'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 28, 2003, at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event was broadcast live on pay-per-view in the United States, and late ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 ,

, KO (punches) ,

UFC 39 ''UFC 39: The Warriors Return'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 27, 2002, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The event was broadcast live on pay per view in the United States ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 ,

Amar Suloev Amar Suloev (January 7, 1976 – June 27, 2016) was a Russian mixed martial artist. Following his mixed martial arts career, Suloev became involved in the world of organized crime and was arrested and accused of being a contract killer. He died o ...

, TKO (punches) ,

UFC 37 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:55 ,

Bossier City, Louisiana Bossier City ( ) is a city in Bossier Parish in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Louisiana in the United States. It is the second most populous city in the Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan statistical area. In 2020, it had a ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 3–1 ,

, Decision (majority) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Robert Sarkozi , TKO (punches) , WMMAA 1: MegaFights , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Curtis Stout , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , John Hayes , TKO (punches) , Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 9 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:35 ,

Plainview, New York Plainview is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located near the North Shore of Long Island in the town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York, United States. The population of the CDP was 27,100. The Plainview post office has t ...

, United States ,

Bareknuckle boxing record

, Loss , align=center, 0–1 ,

, TKO (punch) , World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:19 ,

Casper, Wyoming Casper is a city in, and the county seat of, Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. Casper is the second-largest city in the state, with the population at 59,038 as of the 2020 census. Only Cheyenne, the state capital, is larger. Casper is nic ...

, United States , , -

References

External links

* *
Official MySpace Page

NERDSociety – Interview with Controversial Phil Baroni
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baroni, Phil 1976 births American male mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from New York (state) American sportspeople of Italian descent Middleweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters American male kickboxers Kickboxers from New York (state) Living people American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts People from Massapequa Park, New York Nassau Community College alumni Massapequa High School alumni