While they may not be in the limelight of the big named promotion's at the moment, that hasn't stopped the forward momentum of both Bobby Lashley and Phil Baroni--two fighters that at one point or another in their careers, were thought as top prospects in their respective divisions. Prior to their Titan Fighting Championship debut yesterday, both men were coming off of losses--in Phil's case, consecutive losses--three-in-a-row. However, both men were able to gut out clear-cut decision victories over their respective opponents, however it wasn't without extenuated efforts put forward by both combatants. ...

By John Moody Pete Sell is known for delivering and taking big blows.  His knockout of Phil Baroni and war with Scott Smith are UFC classics. After going 1-4 in his last five UFC fights and being released in the spring of 2009, the man called “Drago” is plotting his return.  His go-for-broke style was fan pleasing yet not the best strategy for his long term career.  After his loss to Matt Brown at UFC 96, Sell took a much needed breather and a very hard look at his career. ...

And we’re back for the epic conclusion to the series that will soon take the internets by storm: What If MMA Fighters Played Call Of Duty? In the first part of this groundbreaking event, we saw how five prominent MMA fighters were very similar to five prominent ways to play any number of games in the amazing Call of Duty franchise. Up next is five more inductees into this exclusive club of CODly goodness. Let’s dive right in to Part 2! ...

"The New York Badass" has become one of the latest fighters to be released from the UFC. The former middleweight contender has been shopping around from home-to-home over the years, having fought in PRIDE, EliteXC, King of the Cage, Icon Sport, and Strikeforce before he made a two-fight residence with the worlds largest mixed martial arts organization: the UFC. During his most recent stint, Baroni went 0-2 in competition, with losses to season seven winner of "The Ultimate Fighter" in Amir Sadollah as a welterweight, then most recently Phil moved back up to the 185-pound division in order to face another TUF alumni in Brad Tavares. ...

ufc 125 “Resolution” featured a great night of fights that ended with a fantastic main event between Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard. It was a hard-hitting night of action, with several great knockouts, some slick submissions, and easily one of the most heinous broken noses ever seen during the course of an MMA bout. But the night was actually filled with several nasal fractures, not just Brandon Vera’s hideously crooked honker. With the release of the UFC 125 medical suspensions, no less than four fighters will be out for at least thirty days in order to get their noses repaired. Here are all the details. ...

UFC 125 “Resolution” is fast approaching us, fans and friends, and New Year’s Day should give us an amazing card filled with great fights. Much has been made of the main Pay-Per-View card, since it features big match-ups featuring major stars like Nate Diaz, Takanori Gomi, Clay Guida, and many more. But here’s something you may not know: this show even has a ridiculously stacked undercard. It’s so good, in fact, that it warrants a Top 5. So here are five great reasons to find a way to watch UFC 125’s undercard. ...

Another ufc event has recently been made official, with eleven bouts now confirmed to be taking place. While anything could happen between now and then, the UFC recently released their lineup for UFC 125: “Resolution”, which takes place on New Year’s Day and features Frank Edgar defending his UFC Lightweight Championship against the only man that’s ever beaten him, Gray Maynard. With credit going to MMA Junkie, here’s the official lineup for the event, which is scheduled to take place January 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

As the worlds largest mixed martial art's organization tries to ring in the new year, additional bouts have been added to a stacked card. Next New Year's, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the UFC will return to Nevada with a lightweight title fight pitting current champion Frankie Edgar, who is riding on a 5-fight win streak (which included two back-to-back victories over former champion BJ Penn) will look to exact revenge when he defends his title against the only man to defeat him, undefeated UFC lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard. Also in action, former Interim heavyweight champion Shane Carwin is coming back to action after succumbing to his first defeat as a professional at UFC 116 when he tangles with the former IFL heavyweight champion and season 10 winner of "The Ultimate Fighter", Roy Nelson. ...

Phil Baroni, if anything else, will be remembered as "that guy" who fought Matt Lindland twice, nearly knocking out the well established Olympic wrestler on both occasions, and who battled against former ufc middleweight champion Evan Tanner on two separate occasions as well. Never "the best eva", however, Baroni has become one of the most polarizing figures in the sport today. Beginning his career in the 185-pound division where he had picked up some of the largest wins of his career, which includes an 18-second drubbing of former middleweight champ Dave Menne, in what has to be remembered as one of the greatest knockouts of all time. Emaciating himself to the 170-pound division for his last several fights, "The New York Bad Ass" returns to where it all began in, when he makes his way back to the middleweight division in hopes to deliver another career highlight reel. ...

The remaining bouts for UFC 106 on November 21 in Las Vegas Nevada are now finalized, the UFC announced today. Topping the bill is the return of former UFC light heavyweight champion "Huntington Beach Bad Boy" Tito Ortiz (15-6-1) as he is set to face former UFC light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin (16-4) in a rematch of the 2006 fight that was Griffin's first loss in the UFC. ...

Welterweight matchups between “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-11) and The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1) and “Killa B” Ben Saunders (7-1-2) and  “Irish Hand Grenade” Marcus Davis (16-5) and a lightweight matchup between  George Sotiropoulos (10-2) and "Dynamite" Jason Dent (20-9) were officially announced for UFC 106 at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas November 21 by the UFC Wednesday. ...

UFC welterweights "New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (13-11) and The Ultimate Fighter 7 champ Amir Sadollah (1-1) have agreed to fight, Fighters.com has confirmed.

Inside Fights reports the matchup will be at UFC 106 in Las Vegas 21 November.

Baroni was released by Strikeforce 14 August before signing to return to the Octagon for the first time since going to sleep in a guillotine by “Drago” Pete Sell (8-5) at UFC 51 in Las Vegas in February 2005. Baroni called his UFC contract "an offer I couldn't refuse."

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Fighters.com’s ninth-ranked heavyweight “The Natural” Randy Couture (16-10) wasn't the only MMA legend UFC President Dana White locked up to retirement before UFC 102.

Welterweight Matt Hughes (41-7) signed a four-fight deal that sources inside Hughes's camp tell Fighters.com Hughes expects to lead him into retirement.

Hughes won a unanimous decision over "Terror" Matt Serra (9-6) three months ago and White announced in a pre-UFC 102 presser that Hughes won't return for at least another three months. Hughes was on hiatus for nearly an entire year before his UD over Serra.
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Strikeforce cut welterweight "New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (13-11) Thursday.

In an unusual and stinging press release, the San Jose-based promotion justified it's decision: "The 33-year-old Baroni has lost four of his last seven bouts. In his last appearance, a welterweight matchup with "Diesel" Joe Riggs (30-11) [in St. Louis 6 June], Baroni sustained a one-sided defeat by way of unanimous judges’ decision."

Before Baroni's release was officially announced, Sherdog reported Baroni had verbally agreed to a contract returning him to the UFC for the first time since tapping out in a guillotine to "Drago" Pete Sell (8-5) at UFC 51 in Las Vegas in February 2005.
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Strikeforce is planning a welterweight bout between “Bang” Duane Ludwig (17-8) and “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-10) for early 2009, reported MMA Junkie Sunday. Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said, “We're going to try to put [Ludwig] and Baroni together.  Since they're so close in weight now, we should definitely put that fight together at 170 [pounds]. They should fight either in Denver or Seattle." Ludwig TKO’d “The Squeeze” Sam Morgan (19-12) in the first round at Strikeforce’s last event 3 October. Baroni was scheduled to fight on the same card, but he suffered a cut requiring stitches during his unanimous decision win over Olaf Alfonso (7-9) the previous week and was pulled. ...

“New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-10) has been pulled from the Strikeforce card  in Denver on 3 October due to a cut sustained in his fight last weekend, his agent Ken Pavia told MMA News. Baroni won a unanimous decision over Olaf Alfonso (7-9) at the Palace Fighting Championship last Friday, but got cut with Alfonso’s “only big punch of the fight” in the first round. Pavia said, “It was significant enough that it required six stitches right in his eyelid.  Between the first and second round he realized he was cut and was like, ‘Aww man, now I can’t fight next week.’ “He had the PFC fight inked when Strikeforce came to us but they felt that Phil would come out unscathed so we took the fight even though it was going to be a tough cut for two consecutives weeks. There will always be intangibles and anything could happen.” The cut will likely take 3-4 weeks to heal. ...

"New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (13-10) extended his "W" streak to three with a one-sided UD over Mexican welterweight Olaf Alfonso (7-9) Friday night in Lemoore, southeast of San Francisco. Baroni got cut early, but tagged Alfonso with punches and floored him with takedowns the majority of the fight. Bryan Travers (11-1) picked up the Palace Fighting Championship welterweight title with a close UD over Jeremiah Metcalf (9-6) by scores of 48-47 on all three judges' score cards. Shawn Klarcyk (9-2) defended his PFC Bantamweight Championship from Brandon Miller (3-3) by armbar at 2:19 of round two. PFC Lightweight Champion Brian Cobb (13-4) also fought off David Gardner's (14-10) advances on his gold in a UD by scores of 50-45 from all three judges. ...

The Palace Fighting Championship has announced that “New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (12-10) will face WEC veteran Olaf Alfonso (7-8) in a welterweight match at PFC 10, reported Five Ounces of Pain Monday. The event will take place 26 September in Lemoore, CA, located in the San Joaquin Valley between San Francisco and Los Angeles. After moving down to welterweight, Baroni won his two recent fights, a first-round knockout of Scott Jansen (3-3) in July, and a 51-second TKO of Ron Verdadero (3-6) less than a month later. Alfonso won his last two fights after dropping six in a row, most recently knocking out Chris Solomon (1-5) in 28 seconds in May. ...

"New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (11-10) clocked Scott Jansen (3-3) in the first round of Baroni's 170-pound debut, knocking the Brit stiff in London Saturday night. "I had a lot of doubts going in here," Baroni said after losing three straight and spending his entire career at 185-pounds, "but I erased them with that right hand." The usually brash "Bad Ass" lost a bit of bravado with the 15 pounds of inflated muscle, graciously admitting, "I feel really lucky to have this opportunity." In an unfortunate scene of MMA hooliganism, a friend of Jansen's attacked Baroni in the cage after the knockout; but, order was quickly restored. A reinvigorated Baroni asked after the fight, "Who's next?" CageRage is owned by ProElite, which also owns EliteXC and Icon and has a working relationship with Strikeforce, leaving open a lot of options for Baroni in his new weight class. Heavyweight Neil Grove (6-1) knocked out "Buzz" Robert Berry (12-8) at 1:29 of round two, ending any leftover controversy from a Grove corner stoppage "W" over Berry last December. ...

Fighters.com's sixth-ranked middleweight and EliteXC Champion "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (15-4) and "Hands of Stone" Scott Smith (13-4) sizzled in three-and-a-half-rounds of stand-up in Newark, outside of New York City, Saturday night in the prime time network premier of mixed martial arts. In the main event, "Colossus" James Thompson (14-9) exposed "Kimbo Slice" Kevin Ferguson (3-0) in a third-round stoppage loss. Former Ultimate Fighters Lawler and Smith fought to a controversial no contest halted when Smith absorbed a finger in his right eye from a defending Lawler. Smith protested the end of a fight that was building into the primetime MMA era's sequel to Griffin v Bonnar, while Lawler hung his head in disappointment. "Hands of Stone" opened round one of his title challenge establishing his high kick.  Lawler was cagey in defense, pawing a jab and feigning a takedown. It wasn't long before the fireworks shot off and didn't end.  Lawler countered a Superman punch from Smith with a straight right.  Smith belted back with a right high kick, backing up the champion.  Lawler threw haymakers in defense, then clinched up to throw hooks to Smith's head.  The warriors traded body kicks to end round one. Lawler established his jab in round two, setting up an uppercut.  Smith defended with Thai clinch in which he landed knees and elbows as Lawler struggled to free himself.  The fighters crashed into the cage and dirty boxed, Lawler landing uppercuts while Smith countered with elbows. The fireworks came to an anti-climactic end in round three as doctors inexplicably called an end to the fight after Smith took a Lawler finger to the eye. ...

Jackson's Submission Fighting's Joey Villasenor (25-6) will replace "Ninja" Murilo Rua (15-8-1) on CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights 31 May, EliteXC announced. Villasenor has won twice since losing to Rua by TKO in June 2007.  He won a split decision over Riki Fukuda (9-3) and knocked out Ryan Jensen (11-4) last month. Baroni returns after losing an Icon middleweight title bout to Kala Kalohe Hose (6-1) in March. No explanation for the change has been given. ...

EliteXC has announced the official fight card of its 31 May CBS debut called CBS EliteXC Saturday Night Fights. The main event, reported last week by Fighters.com, will match "Kimbo Slice" Kevin Ferguson (2-0) versus "The Colossus" James Thompson (14-8) in a heavyweight scrap sure to end before the final bell. "The Grim" Brett Rogers (6-0) earned a spot on the broadcast card when he knocked out "The Colossus" in February, though it evidently wasn't enough to challenge "Slice" in the main event.  He'll fight Jon Murphy (4-2), who comes off of a KO over Dave Huckaba (4-2) last August. Also previously reported, Fighters.com's number six middleweight "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (15-4) will defend his EliteXC championship versus "Hands of Stone" Scott Smith (13-4). Finally, "New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (10-9) will try to bounce back from his recent TKO loss to Icon Middleweight Champion Kala Kolohe Hose (6-1) versus "Ninja" Murilo Rua (15-8-1), who last crossed the Atlantic to pickup a stoppage in CageRage after Lawler knocked him out in his EliteXC debut. "In terms of recognition and perception, I believe May 31 is the biggest and single most important MMA fight card ever," said Gary Shaw, EliteXC Live Events President.  "It will forever change the landscape of the sport and how it is perceived." Given the pedestrian fight card and spectacle of a main event, let's all hope not. The card will air live in America at 9:00 PM EST/PT. ...

Everyone who streamed Icon Sport: To Hell and Back live Saturday at ProElite.com witnessed something special. Why do fighters fight? Versus "The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni (10-9) for the Icon Sport Middleweight World Championship, Hawaii's Kala Kolohe Hose (6-1) found his answer. Hose found out what he's made of, inside and out. At the opening bell, "Bad Ass" catapulted out of his corner with bad intentions.  He easily dumped Hose to the mat with a double leg takedown and dumped leather in Hose's face. The island boy bucked and dodged as Baroni punched, scrambled, and stomped at Hose's head. "I honestly thought I was in trouble at that point," Hose said. The doubters must've been right.  The local boy was outclassed by the international journeyman. But, three minutes into round one, Baroni began to whither, heaving for air.  Hose was gassed too after the initial adrenaline dump of his first title fight. Despite the hype, it was Baroni's first title fight too.  After a three minute ground'n'pound barrage, Baroni was done. The final two minutes of round one wound down with the fighters on the mat gasping for air. The New Yorker never met his rep as a big puncher, never even really tried. In the second round, Baroni took Hose back to the mat where Hose attempted a Kimura without proper leverage.  Baroni toughed out the arm twist, but, before round two closed, Hose began pin-pointing punches. By round three, Baroni's hands dangled at his waist and, when distance allowed, he bent over with his hands on his knees for breathers. Hose had recovered from the initial energy dump and found his game standing and on the ground. When Baroni could no longer weather Hose's punches, kicks, and knees, he'd shoot sluggishly and Hose would stuff him and tenderize his kidneys with hooking body punches. Confidence that wasn't present in Hose as he entered Icon Sport's ring, now swelled the Waianae kid's chest.  He was sure he belonged in the ring with Baroni.  He was going to win. Baroni was deducted a point in the fourth round for continually throwing himself beneath the ropes to avoid Hose's onslaughts. At the beginning of round five, the Hawaiian tossed a big right hand in Baroni's face.  Baroni crumbled and Hose unloaded over top of him. At :26 of round five, the grueling slog was called by TKO for Kala Kolohe Hose, Icon Sport's new middleweight world titlist. "It feels good. I'd like to thank everybody out there," a bashful, but ecstatic Hose announced after the fight. An Icon Sports announcer called Hose's TKO of Baroni, "One of the biggest upsets in MMA history." Not quite.  Don't overrate 10-9 Baroni.  However, with the "W" comes a new confidence for Hose, enough now to meet former champ "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler (15-4) with some mo'. On the undercard, the Icon Sport's Hawaii 145-pound strap also found a new waist.  "The Chosen One" and now former champ Bronsen Pieper (2-1) blocked a lunging right hook from Sadhu Bott (3-0) with his face.  Pieper crumbled forward and Bott took his back.  The islanders scrambled until Bott sucked an arm into an armbar.  Pieper held on longer than necessary, but tapped in agony at 4:33 of round one. It took BJ Penn's training partner "Da Boss" Ross Ebanez (18-6) just nine seconds to knockout 175-pound Brennan Kamaka (3-12) with a left hook that nearly sent Kamaka through the ropes. Legend's Gym fighter "Half Man Half Amazing" Jeremy Williams (5-0) matched Ebanez with his own left hook that knocked out "The Warrior" Auggie Padekan at 2:18 of round one. "I'm looking for an Icon world title," Williams announced, then noted, "I can either fight in Iowa or in Hawaii." At 135-pounds, Russell Doane (2-1) upset Icon vet Tyson Nam (4-2).  Doane began with a slick single leg takedown, but Nam smartly regained his feet as Doane stood to slam him.  Nam landed a stinging left hand, but Doane finagled the fight back to the mat and pounded Nam out at 3:53 of round one. "Pretty Boy" Wayne Perrin, III (1-2) was probably feeling out 170-pound Koa Ramos (4-0) when he threw a lazy right high kick.  Ramos took the opportunity to plant Perrin III into the mat and pound "Pretty Boy" until he gave up his back for a first round guillotine choke submission. "P.J. is animal, brah," 160-pound Eddie Rincon described PJ Dean (1-2) after losing a unanimous decision to the Hawaiian. Rincon pulled guard to open round one and got slobber-knocked into the mat the rest of the three round fight. "I ain't no steppin' stone for nobody," said Dean. 145-pound Matt Comeau (2-1) flattened Elias Delos Reyes (1-1) out and pound him to a second round TKO. "The Tan Superman" David Padilla (7-13) and lightweight Alan Lima (2-0) spent three romantic rounds on the mat before the BJJ player, Lima, was awarded a unanimous decision. 135-pound Duane Haney (3-0) tapped touted striker Zack Rapal (0-1) in a guillotine choke as Rapal tried to stand out of guard. 145-pound Brandon Pieper (0-4) tapped out to "Hoku" Ricky Wallace (1-2) of Icon Gym at :37 seconds of round one in a standing guillotine. Jay Bolos (1-3) walked his guard up the back of "Soljah Boy" Nui Wheeler (0-3) right into an armbar for the tap in round two. In the first fight, Kona Ke lit-up Micah Ige with a right hook as Ige sought to clinch.  Ige fell forward and Ke threw him to the mat, fell on him, and wrapped up a rear naked choke for the tap. ...

Icon Sport's President T. Jay Thompson solemnly announced Saturday in Honolulu, "Icon Sport has taken the unprecedented action of stripping Robbie Lawler of his Icon Sport world middleweight title." Icon Sport is a Hawaii-based promotion under the ProElite umbrella. Lawler, known as "Ruthless", knocked out Frank Trigg for the title in March 2007, but has failed to defended due to various training injuries. "I'm as disappointed as anybody with the injuries that have prevented me from fighting," complained Lawler by SMS message. Icon's top contender has been Kala Kolohe Hose of Waianae since June 2007, most recently matched-up with Lawler in December.  Lawler pulled out of that title fight with a torn bicep. "We had to bring in a fighter worthy of this belt," Thompson claimed at Saturday's press conference. Hose grinned ear-to-ear as his opponent for a March 15 title showdown was announced. "One of the most feared strikers in MMA," Thompson teased.  "You know him as 'The New York Bad Ass', Phil Baroni will be [Hose's] opponent." Baroni last fought in June, suffering a rear naked choke TKO loss to Frank Shamrock in Strikeforce. Thompson put the best possible spin on the fight, calling Baroni, "Someone that brings the honor and respect to the sport," despite Baroni emerging from a six-month suspension after testing positive for steroids after his Shamrock loss. "Too bad Lawler was afraid to fight [Hose], but I’m not," Baroni taunted, then claimed, "I've fought the best fighters in the world, all over the world." Baroni is 10-8, 3-3 since winning his first two PRIDE fights in 2005 versus Ikuhisa Minowa and Ryo Chonan. Hose is 5-1, knocking out five consecutive cans. At Saturday's press conference, Baroni called Hose, "A young Phil Baroni, chin down, hands up, and let'em fly." Lawler is 16-4 with wins versus Murilo Rua, Trigg, Joey Villasenor, and Falaniko Vitale.  Lawler said, "I also look forward to...winning the title back and wearing the Icon belt around my waist where it belongs." ...

One of the  toughest-talking, hardest-fighting, most colorful competitors in mixed martial arts, “The New York Bad Ass" Phil Baroni, has signed a  multi-year contract with Los  Angeles-based ProElite, Inc.’s Live Fight Division, EliteXC.  “You know any Jersey boy like me likes a ‘New  York Bad Ass’ and Phil’s definitely as bad as they come,’’ said EliteXC Live Events President, Gary Shaw, who made the announcement Saturday.  “Phil is a  promoter’s dream.  He’s a character but also as courageous a fighter as I’ve been  around. “But what I truly  love about him is he always comes not only to fight but to win and put on a  show.  He’s a crowd-pleaser extraordinaire.   This is a great addition to the EliteXC family and we are thrilled to sign him.  Fans can expect to see Phil back in the cage and fighting his heart out very  soon." Baroni’s next fight is March 15 on the EliteXC Hawaii-based Icon Sport promotion.  Terms of the agreement were not  disclosed. “This is a great deal and opportunity.  I appreciate EliteXC sticking with me and believing in me enough to sign me,’’ said Baroni, whose last fight came against Frank Shamrock on June 22, 2007. A native of Long Island, N.Y., Baroni  didn’t win an incredibly exciting slugfest that lived  up to its hype and anticipation, but he showed as much grit and determination as anyone could expect. “I’m looking  forward to returning to the cage and kicking (butt),’’ said Baroni, whose  EliteXC contract will allow him to continue to perform for Strikeforce.  “Everybody knows I got hurt early and couldn’t do everything I wanted to do against Shamrock.  But I’m 100 percent now, ready for anybody.  I pity the guy I  fight next, or the one after that.  Trust me, everybody is going to pay from here on out." ...