Veteran Fighter Phil Baroni Announces His Retirement From MMA

Phil Baroni is a true veteran of MMA and has been a professional fighter since 2000. The fighter has competed for various promotions over the years, including the likes of UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, Bellator MMA, and ONE FC. The fighter has also competed in 7 kickboxing fights and won all of them via KO.

‘The New York Bad A*s’ last competed against Sai Wang at the Rebel FC 9 event on September 7, 2019. Baroni had lost that fight via 1st round submission. The fighter was 43 years old at the time of his last fight and therefore fans had been speculating as to what the fighter will do next.

Now in a recent tweet, the veteran fighter has announced that he is retiring from MMA. He wrote, “I’m retired. My career has come to a close. Thanks to my fans for the support. It was fun. Thanks for the memories. It should have been over a long time ago. Adios Amegos for Mexico.”

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While the fighter announced his retirement on August 22, 2021, he did suggest that he should have retired some time back. ‘The New York Bad A*s’ also talked about how he should have listened to his coach Javier Mendez, who allegedly told him to retire a long time ago.

Looking back at the incredible career of Phil Baroni

Baroni made his MMA debut back in August 2020. The fight faced John Hayes at the Vengeance at the Vanderbilt 9 and won via a 1st round TKO. ‘The New York Bad A*s’ made his UFC debut in 2001 as he defeated Curtis Stout at the UFC 30 event.

The fighter, however, did not have much success in the UFC and left after losing 4 consecutive fights between 2003 and 2005. Baroni saw some of his best MMA moments when he was a part of PRIDE and performed admirably when he was a part of the promotion.

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With increasing age and decreasing reflexes, the fighter ultimately ended his MMA career with a record of (16-19). While Baroni’s MMA record might not seem so great, the fighter was a true icon of the sport and was a legend in his own right.