Phil Baroni

(Don't miss next week's episode of 'My Baroni,' when Phil accidentally makes a date with two different ring girls on the same night!)

You may have been so excited about Tito Ortiz bringing his one-man Schadenfreude act back to the UFC that you forgot all about it, but another Octagon veteran returns at UFC 106, and it’s the NYBA himself, Phil Baroni.  When last we saw Baroni he was fending off allegations that he was pharmaceutically-enhanced before losing a one-sided decision to Joe Riggs in Strikeforce.  Now he’s one of the rare fighters to get another shot in the UFC immediately after a loss, and he takes on Amir Sadollah this Saturday night in a contest between two guys in desperate need of a win. 

So go on, Phil.  Tell us all about how bad you're going to beat this mamaluke, or maybe something about how you’ve been avoiding having sex with your wife lately.  Come on and dazzle us.  It's been too long and we can hardly wait to hear your new material:

“Look, I’ve said it all already,” Baroni said. “The trash talking is starting to sound like a broken record, even to me. Nothing that I say is going to affect the outcome of the fight. Nothing he says is going to affect the outcome of the fight. There is no need to hype it up because he is a big name among the fans after winning the reality show. I’m coming to reestablish myself in the UFC at his expense, and I’m sure he is coming to do the exact same thing at my expense, since he lost his last bout. …I’m done with all that, at least for now.  I’m not focused on that stuff. I’m focused on my training. I’ve got a tremendous opportunity in front of me, and I’m doing everything that I can to properly prepare so that I can take full advantage of it.”

Phil, it’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore.

(Being a champion has its benefits. Props to caliphornia for the image, and props to imakeutap for the headline inspiration.)

Look, I gotta go catch a flight so let's just get right into it...

agentsmith on "Phil Baroni Possibly Starring in MMA Werewolf Movie":
I guess they wanted someone who had experience in rapidly becoming stronger and more muscular via unnatural means. My advice for his potential victims is to just run... he won't keep up for long.

Terminator on "Phil Baroni Possibly Starring in MMA Werewolf Movie":
I added something extra thanks to agentsmith's comment. this won't last long, so enjoy it guys.

Ed M on "Videos: Rodney King's Next Opponent, Juan Manuel Marquez Drinks Pee + More":
Unbeknownst to Rodney, the promotion plans to allow another officer into the cage at each minute mark of the first round.

parchy mcthirst on "Tito Ortiz's Self-Deception Skills Are Still Second to None":
he looks like a monkey that bashes its cymbals together
[Ed. note: QFT, MF]

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Vampires: Old and Busted.
Werewolves: New Hotness?

According to ScreenJunkies, music video director Sxv'leithan Essex [sic] is teaming up with the producer of Rise of the Silver Surfer to bring us Growl, a story about an underground MMA fight club hunted by a family of werewolves. It's like Fighting meets The Lost Boys meets My God This Movie Is Going to Be Terrible. Here's the synopsis, via ShockTillYouDrop:

Well sure, Mr. Lost Boy himself being a part of the production is cool and all, but does anyone else notice that the shadowy figure in the poster image on the right bears a striking resemblance to the New York Badass? We'll let you know if Baroni can take a break from training for Amir Sadollah and beating up nerds long enough to confirm our suspicions.

According to InsideFights.com, Phil Baroni will make his return to the UFC at UFC 106 (November 21st, Las Vegas) against cursed TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah. It will be Baroni's first Octagon appearance since his submission loss to Pete Sell at UFC 51. After leaving the UFC in 2005, Baroni competed in PRIDE, Icon Sport, and Strikeforce, among other promotions, going 5-5 as a middleweight, then 3-1 as a welterweight. He most recently dropped a decision to Joe Riggs at Strikeforce: Lawler vs. Shields.

Amir Sadollah's MMA career hasn't quite lived up to the promise of his storybook run on TUF 7, where he scored stoppage victories over Steve Byrnes, Gerald Harris, Matt Brown, and CB Dollaway (twice), despite coming into the show with a 0-0 professional record. After two separate injuries suffered in training, Sadollah finally made his return to the cage at UFC 101, 14 months after the TUF 7 finale, came in way underweight, and was TKO'd by Johny Hendricks in 29 seconds. Needless to say, both guys have a lot to prove, and the loser of their match will have to decide if he really wants to continue in a profession that's treated him with so much cruelty. No word yet on whether this match will be on UFC 106's televised card. Any early predictions?

(Kickin' asses, breakin' hearts, and stealin' robes from Courtyard Marriotts. Props: sports.sho.com)

Strikeforce distributed a press release yesterday evening announcing that Phil Baroni had been released by the organization, citing Baroni's "one-sided defeat" at the hands of Joe Riggs in June, and the fact that he's lost four of his last seven fights. (Kind of harsh, since he's also won three of his last four.) Said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker: "We wish Phil the best of luck and hope he can revive his career. If he can, maybe one day, he can return and fight for us." The news was surprising for a couple reasons. First, have you ever heard of Strikeforce releasing a big name due to poor performance? It's not like their welterweight division is so deep that they can be picky, and Baroni is a draw whether he wins or loses. Also, the vaguely negative tone of the press release seemed out of character for Strikeforce. Did something else happen behind the scenes?

The answer: Yeah, maybe. Immediately after the press release hit our inboxes, it was reported that Baroni had verbally agreed to a new contract with the UFC. The New York Badass compiled a 3-5 record in the UFC as a middleweight from 2001-2005, and was released after taking four consecutive losses. During his recent stint as a welterweight, Baroni has yet to defeat a fighter who currently holds a winning record, which seems to imply that the UFC's offer to Baroni had more to do with sticking a thumb in Strikeforce's eye than acquiring a promising 170-pounder. It also gives more credence to yesterday's wild speculation about an upcoming season of TUF featuring old guys. Call us crazy now, but you'll see.