Phil Baroni Needs a Badass Fight

Phil Baroni Needs a Badass Fight

Published on May 22, 2012 by The Coffee Boy in ONEFC

Phil Baroni NY Badass

He has fought living legends, new up-and-coming fighters, and has had several memorable fights. Having fought for the UFC 10 times, starting back in 2001, most hardcore MMA fans know Phil Baroni as the New York Bad Ass.

Known for his aggressive kickboxing style, having trained under Keith Trimble, Phil Baroni often delivers fights worth watching over and over again. He has knocked out Ryo Chonan, Dave Menne, and Yuki Kondo. He has finished off Curtis Stout, Amar Suloev, Ikuhisa Minowa, and Ron Verdadero. He has also submitted Chris Cruit and Yosuke Nishijima.

The NYBA has also had his fair share of losses. He suffered his first loss back in 2001 against Matt Lindland. He would later get his rematch, but would once again come up short. He then lost back-to-back fights against Evan Tanner, and would then be submitted by Pete Sell before leaving the UFC for a while, and spent time in PRIDE.

Since his days in PRIDE, he has fought for Strikeforce, ICON Sport, Titan FC, and his most recent fight was at ONE FC back in September of 2011, losing a decision to Yoshiyuki Yoshida. After that, he has been mostly training and waiting for his next fight. He has also been color commentating for India’s Super Fight League events.

Now, ONE FC needs someone like Phil Baroni. Old school fans remember him, and the younger generation is drawn to him because of his badass attitude, badass style, his badass glasses, and his badass jacket.

I, for one, believe that the NYBA still has a few years in him, maybe even a title shot soon over on this side of the MMA world.

That said, whom should he face in his comeback fight? Let’s take a look at 3 possible opponents for him under the ONE FC banner.

Rodrigo Ribeiro

Rodrigo Ribeiro has a professional record of 9 – 8, and is a decorated Brazilian Jiu Jitsu champion, having over 20 years of experience in the art. While his record may not be the prettiest, he certainly poses a lot of challenges for the NYBA, and it would be a nice battle of the striker versus the grapplers.

He came up short in his last fight at ONE FC, losing a judges’ decision to Rustam Khabilov, and is looking to bounce back into the win column. Training with what is considered the best MMA gym in Asia, Evolve will definitely get him prepared for what Phil Baroni has to offer.

I like this fight because it will motivate both fighters to fight hard and try to win dominantly, since both fighters lost their last fight at ONE FC.

Yuya Shirai

This man is a black belt in Judo, and a winner in the Japanese national sumo tournament. With a record of 22 – 11, he has certainly been through the grinder having fought Che Mills, Paul Daley, and a slew of other good welterweights.

Yuya Shirai lost his last fight at ONE FC against Fabricio Monteiro, and a fight with Phil Baroni makes a lot of sense to as his comeback fight. He needs someone who will engage with him in the stand up game, and Baroni would be more than willing to oblige.

The reigning DEEP Welterweight Champion, Yuya Shirai would provide Phil Baroni enough motivation to go out there and do his best to win big, and turn his career around. This fight has fireworks written all over it.

Seok Mo Kim

Since his loss to Gregor Gracie back in September of 2011 at ONE FC, Seok Mo Kim has been staying busy. He fought that same month against Adam Kayoom in DARE, losing by submission. He then rebounded by beating Jung Min Kang earlier this year by TKO (leg kicks) at Road FC, and then beat Hyeong Ryeol Kim a month later by TKO (knees and punches) at the next Road FC event.

Seok Mo Kim is 4 – 4, and while he doesn’t possess as “long” of a record as the NYBA has, Seok Mo Kim has good standup abilities and a fair ground game.

I like this matchup because both fighters need a big win in ONE FC to remain relevant, and it could also be a ridiculously exciting fight. Phil Baroni is known for his heavy hands and wicked striking abilities, and Seok Mo Kim might be the perfect person to engage him in a standup fight.

Personally, this is the fight I want to see for Phil Baroni’s return to ONE FC, and the fight I believe could make fight of the night honors at almost any event.

Whatever the matchup is, I just want to see the New York Bad Ass back in action, and back fighting in ONE FC. The promotion needs interesting, loud, and fun characters – enter Phil Baroni.