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View Full Version : Exclusief Baroni Intervieuw



Nicky
22-01-2005, 09:56
It is safe to say that the last two years have been pretty rough for Phil Baroni.

Two decision losses sandwiched around a controversial referee stoppage are tough enough to swallow. Toss into the equation a torn pectoral muscle, a bad scare involving a brain scan and a torn medial collateral ligament (his most recent injury) during that same time period, and it becomes bad enough to derail anyone’s career.

But the New York Bad Ass is not just any fighter. The same perseverance and commitment that brought him to the sport’s biggest domestic stage, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, drove him to rehabilitate his recent knee injury aggressively enough to return to the Octagon at UFC 51.

“My knee is 100%,� Baroni told InsideFighting in an exclusive interview. “I tore my MCL, but I’ve had MRIs and whatnot and it’s 100% healed. I’ve had follow ups on my head, so there are no problems there. I just have to keep my defense tight and I’m good to go.�

Baroni’s scheduled fight, however, is not good to go. His original opponent, Robbie Lawler, had to withdraw less than two weeks ago due to injury. It was to be a career-altering fight for both men. The winner of the highly anticipated battle would be right back in the middleweight mix, whereas the loser would be faced with the proposition of returning to the mid-major shows to reestablish himself.

Instead, Baroni gets a new last-minute replacement in what has become a virtual no-win situation. A win over a relatively unknown fighter does little to advance his career. A loss, on the other hand, has the same negative consequences as the proposed “loser leave town� fight against Lawler.

Some fighters refuse to fight in that situation unless they get to first approve their opponent – Tra Teligman and UFC 50 instantly comes to mind. But Baroni never hesitated for a moment. He simply accepted whatever opponent Silva chose for him.

“I’ve always said that I would never turn down an opponent, so that’s what I’ve got to do, accept whoever they give me,� he said. “Everything I’ve said my entire career has been based on that fact, so how can I turn an opponent down now? That’s why I didn’t turn down a friend in Robbie Lawler. That’s why I didn’t turn down Pete Sell. He’s an undefeated guy, who’s been trying to get into the UFC. He’s my opponent now. So I’ve just got to deal with it and take care of business. I’m going to welcome him to the UFC Phil Baroni style, and that welcome won’t be fun, let’s put it that way.�

So, Baroni will now face a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt who prefers to work submissions rather than a powerful southpaw striker who likes to bang it out. Unfazed, he merely changed his sparring partners from southpaws to orthodox fighters and continued with business as usual.

“I always work 50% on the ground and 50% standing,� he explained. “I might work on different things on the ground for say a Robbie Lawler compared to Pete Sell. But it’s all about me forcing my style on my opponent and turning the fight into a drag-out war, a gut check. I’ve always done well in those types of fights. Even when I don’t win, I come on strong at the end.�

Baroni also reminded the fans not to count out his own ground game.

“He’s a jiu-jitsu expert, but I’m pretty good at jiu-jitsu, too,� he said confidently. “I’ve trained jiu-jitsu for a number of years – about as long as he has. I believe that my training and coaches are the best guys in the world like Marc Laimon, Jason Miller, Joe Stevenson, Jay Hieron and some up-and-coming guys that are top notch guys but nobody knows them yet. The school won the Grappler’s Quest West and it’s only been opened for a year, so I’m not worried about his jiu-jitsu. Hey, I might submit him!�

Nevertheless, he doesn’t expect February 5th to evolve into a grappling match. Baroni is convinced that Sell will come with a go-for-broke attitude because he’s got something to prove in his UFC debut.

“He’s been saying that he has nothing to lose,� Baroni said. “That’s not the right attitude. He has a lot to lose. He can get hurt very badly in the cage with me – really badly. He may never fight again – you never know what’s going to happen. He can look at it however he wants. He claims he’s going to bring it during the fight. I just hope he follows through with his talk. If so, it will be a great fight. But this kid doesn’t want to go shot for shot with me, that’s for sure!�

Interestingly enough, the above-mentioned talk is the extent of Baroni’s pre-fight banter. Known for his brash attitude and sharp-tongued trash talk, he has been amazingly silent heading into UFC 51 – no radio shows, no interviews on major media sites, hardly a word until now.

“I’m 28 years old,� he explained. “I’m more mature now. I’ve been up and down in my career, so I’ve seen how things are on both sides. I’m only doing interviews and stuff with you guys because you’ve always treated me fairly – you are fair to all the fighters, not just me. I like you guys because you are straightforward and tell it like it is. So, I choose to say what I’ve got to say through InsideFighting. Otherwise, I’m keeping it quiet on purpose.

“I’ve said it all before. Everybody knows that I’d like nothing better than to concave a hole in the side of my opponent’s head once I step into the Octagon. That will never change. But it’s getting old now. I’ve got nothing new to say. I’m just going to go in there and fight and let my fighting do the talking for me. I’m a real fighter. I come to fight. I put it all out on the line every time I’m out there. That won’t change.�

Baroni is also upset at the lack of respect given to him by the so-called experts over the past year, particularly those who claim he was given a fight at UFC 51 for reasons other than his fighting prowess.

“I’m also upset that a lot of people think I’m only in the UFC because of what I say or my image,� he continued. “That’s not true at all. The reason that I’m in the UFC is because I’m one of the best fighters in the world at 185 pounds, and I have what it takes to be the best. I’m a well-rounded fighter and I come to fight every night. That’s why I’m out there, nothing else. I’m a real fighter. I’ve never been finished and I’ll never be finished. That’s why I’m in the UFC.�

Heading into February 5th, this is the most focused Phil Baroni that we’ve seen in a long, long time. His game plan for the fight is simple – keep the fight on the feet, put unrelenting pressure on his opponent and try to break his will or separate him from consciousness. It’s that simple. Although it is a must-win fight for Baroni, he still wants to be as entertaining as possible for those fans who still enjoy watching the New York Bad Ass throw down in the Octagon.

“I want to thank the fans for their support,� Phil Baroni said in closing. “I’ve got my website back up again. It’s NewYorkBadAss.com – check it out. I’ve got to thank my sponsors, too. When I lost fights in the past, I’ve had sponsors pull the plug on me. But I’ve had a few really good, loyal sponsors who have stuck by me and others who are interested in me even though I’m not on a winning streak - Mortgage Line Financial (TKODebt.com), Worldwide Sports Nutrition, GoFast Energy Drink, Bow Wow Pits, Gordon Biersch Brewing Company and KTFO.tv. I’ve got to thank each one of them for supporting me.�