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"The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (13-12)has been in this position before,do or die in the UFC.
“It's obvious I have to win (against Salter 5-1)if I want to keep my spot in the UFC. I'm going out to keep my job. To keep a good paying job. I'm a little older and I don’t want to go back to being a journeyman at my age now. I need to win.” Baroni continued, “I've been in this position before. I've been in this position for the past six years, man. It's a sin. I've answered all the same questions. I'm good in this position and I'm going to go out and fight. I'm not focusing on it or worried about it. I’m going to let the chips fall where they may.”
Baroni returned to the UFC in November last year against Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah, dropping a unanimous decision in a typical Baroni blood-and-guts type performance. Reflecting on the bout, Baroni feels he should have won. “I wasn't as prepared for it as I should have been. My weight was out of control for that one. I think I could have won that fight nine times out of ten, just not that night. It was a hard fight to lose.”
Since that fight, the "NYBA" has spent some time training Muay Thai-striking in the home of the martial art: Thailand. Baroni discussed the trip in-depth. “That was pretty awesome and unforgettable. It was a good experience. I was supposed to go for just a month, but ended up staying for two. I learned a lot of new Muay Thai technique.”
Baroni feels that had he trained Muay Thai more often during his career, it would have been a big help to him. ”I really enjoyed it. I wish I had trained Muay Thai for the last ten years. It's a really good form of stand-up for MMA. I was training it twice a day, but I mean, what can you really learn in two months in Thailand? What am I going to learn in two months - really?" Baroni continued, "If I go to Brazil and train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu twice a day, I'm not going to become Demian Maia."
Baroni shared one final thought on his time in Thailand: "I took a lot away from Thailand. It was a good life experience. They say it's the journey - right, not the destination? I've been on a pretty cool journey all these years. I wouldn't trade it for anything.”
To further cement the Thailand vs. Brazil outlook, Baroni talks about what he could learn from the home of some of MMA's finest. “Going there [Thailand], I felt I could learn more than [in] Brazil. What am I going to learn in Brazil - a fucking triangle [choke]? I've been learning that for ten years and can't triangle anyone, so I don’t know what I'd do in Brazil for two months.”
Baroni will be back in the middleweight division for this fight, after a stint at welterweight recently. Baroni explained his reasons for the switch “This one is at 185-pounds. I blew up after the Amir fight to 225-pounds, so there was no way I was going to make 170-pounds - and I need to fight. I got bills to pay. I wouldn't have had enough time to comfortably get to 170-pounds. I'm not ruling that division out forever, but I need to make money right now. I feel athletic at 170-pounds, but I lost some power. I felt a little rung out. I'm more used to - and adjusted to - middleweight.”
With his career on the line, one may expect Baroni to switch things up a bit. Baroni cautions his fans not to expect anything of the sort. “I fight the way I fight. I've been fighting the same way for ten years. It's hard to teach old dogs new tricks. I'm not going to be pulling guard and trying to set anything up. I don't like cautious fights and don't expect that in this one.”
Phil Baroni is a fighter - plain and simple. It’s in his blood. Win or lose he will continue to fight because, as he puts it, “I’m a fighter and I need to make money." It’s no secret that win or lose Baroni is always in exciting fights. He’ll give a beating or take a beating, but following his last performance he needs to bring his A-game to the octagon in August, or it's probably the final opportunity he'll ever have on that stage. This is something that Baroni is well aware of.
“I’m coming out guns blazing, like I always do. I'm going to be coming out in shape and I'll be putting on a good fight - a lot better than my last one. I feel like I let a lot of fans and people down in my last fight and I want to make it up to them this time.”
Phil Baroni vs. John Salter will take place on the UFC 118 preliminary card from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on August 28. The headline draw at UFC 118 is a double-attraction, with Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn II for the UFC lightweight championship, as well as the biggest MMA vs. Boxing contest to date - Randy "The Natural" Couture vs. James "Lights Out" Toney. The main card of UFC 118 will air live on pay-per view television.
“It's obvious I have to win (against Salter 5-1)if I want to keep my spot in the UFC. I'm going out to keep my job. To keep a good paying job. I'm a little older and I don’t want to go back to being a journeyman at my age now. I need to win.” Baroni continued, “I've been in this position before. I've been in this position for the past six years, man. It's a sin. I've answered all the same questions. I'm good in this position and I'm going to go out and fight. I'm not focusing on it or worried about it. I’m going to let the chips fall where they may.”
Baroni returned to the UFC in November last year against Ultimate Fighter winner Amir Sadollah, dropping a unanimous decision in a typical Baroni blood-and-guts type performance. Reflecting on the bout, Baroni feels he should have won. “I wasn't as prepared for it as I should have been. My weight was out of control for that one. I think I could have won that fight nine times out of ten, just not that night. It was a hard fight to lose.”
Since that fight, the "NYBA" has spent some time training Muay Thai-striking in the home of the martial art: Thailand. Baroni discussed the trip in-depth. “That was pretty awesome and unforgettable. It was a good experience. I was supposed to go for just a month, but ended up staying for two. I learned a lot of new Muay Thai technique.”
Baroni feels that had he trained Muay Thai more often during his career, it would have been a big help to him. ”I really enjoyed it. I wish I had trained Muay Thai for the last ten years. It's a really good form of stand-up for MMA. I was training it twice a day, but I mean, what can you really learn in two months in Thailand? What am I going to learn in two months - really?" Baroni continued, "If I go to Brazil and train Brazilian Jiu Jitsu twice a day, I'm not going to become Demian Maia."
Baroni shared one final thought on his time in Thailand: "I took a lot away from Thailand. It was a good life experience. They say it's the journey - right, not the destination? I've been on a pretty cool journey all these years. I wouldn't trade it for anything.”
To further cement the Thailand vs. Brazil outlook, Baroni talks about what he could learn from the home of some of MMA's finest. “Going there [Thailand], I felt I could learn more than [in] Brazil. What am I going to learn in Brazil - a fucking triangle [choke]? I've been learning that for ten years and can't triangle anyone, so I don’t know what I'd do in Brazil for two months.”
Baroni will be back in the middleweight division for this fight, after a stint at welterweight recently. Baroni explained his reasons for the switch “This one is at 185-pounds. I blew up after the Amir fight to 225-pounds, so there was no way I was going to make 170-pounds - and I need to fight. I got bills to pay. I wouldn't have had enough time to comfortably get to 170-pounds. I'm not ruling that division out forever, but I need to make money right now. I feel athletic at 170-pounds, but I lost some power. I felt a little rung out. I'm more used to - and adjusted to - middleweight.”
With his career on the line, one may expect Baroni to switch things up a bit. Baroni cautions his fans not to expect anything of the sort. “I fight the way I fight. I've been fighting the same way for ten years. It's hard to teach old dogs new tricks. I'm not going to be pulling guard and trying to set anything up. I don't like cautious fights and don't expect that in this one.”
Phil Baroni is a fighter - plain and simple. It’s in his blood. Win or lose he will continue to fight because, as he puts it, “I’m a fighter and I need to make money." It’s no secret that win or lose Baroni is always in exciting fights. He’ll give a beating or take a beating, but following his last performance he needs to bring his A-game to the octagon in August, or it's probably the final opportunity he'll ever have on that stage. This is something that Baroni is well aware of.
“I’m coming out guns blazing, like I always do. I'm going to be coming out in shape and I'll be putting on a good fight - a lot better than my last one. I feel like I let a lot of fans and people down in my last fight and I want to make it up to them this time.”
Phil Baroni vs. John Salter will take place on the UFC 118 preliminary card from the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts on August 28. The headline draw at UFC 118 is a double-attraction, with Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn II for the UFC lightweight championship, as well as the biggest MMA vs. Boxing contest to date - Randy "The Natural" Couture vs. James "Lights Out" Toney. The main card of UFC 118 will air live on pay-per view television.
