In his Octagon debut at UFC 30: Battle on the Boardwalk against Curtis Stout, Phil’s endless self promotion actually made fans care about a preliminary bout between two unknowns. He returned to UFC 34 to face Lindland and lost a majority decision. Phil looked good at times but fatigue got the best of him late in the first round and he really just held on from there on out. At UFC 37: High Impact, Baroni seemed to have conquered his stamina demons.
He was caught in an exchange on the feet and appeared to be on his way out when Suloev mistakenly delivered an illegal knee to the face when Baroni was on three points and drew a foul. Phil returned after taking mere moments to clear his head and pounded Amar into the side of the cage, getting the win via ref stoppage. At UFC 39: The Warriors Return, Phil did exactly what he said he’d do: KO Dave Menne in just seconds. Phil lost the rematch to Matt Lindland at UFC 41 and then the controversial stoppage at UFC 45 brings us to the present.
Baroni/Matt Lindland: These two have fought twice, at UFC 34 and UFC 41. The second match-up was the more entertaining bout and the one dissected below. Lindland had superior conditioning and it was the difference here. Baroni showed heart but was outclassed and virtually running on fumes in the second round. Matt’s wrestling was key as he took Baroni down frequently and he did his best work from the side mount. Baroni threw a lot of potent strikes but the positioning battle was dominated by Lindland. Matt was able to trap Baroni’s arm and throw strikes without having to defend them. All Phil did early was make it hard for Matt to operate and try to frustrate him on the mat. Late in round two, he started to get his wind again. He was able to break free of a rear-naked choke and pound Lindland but it was too late to save that period. In round three,
Lindland almost made a huge mistake by attempting to stand and trade with Baroni. Matt’s stand-up was not good then. Lindland took some shots in that round and nearly brought Baroni back into the fight. When it went to the ground, Lindland was still controlling the pace but he was starting to gas and his strikes were ineffective. Both fighters were tired when stood up but the momentum was swinging in the favor of Baroni. Late in the round, Phil landed a solid knee that forced Matt to go for a takedown but Baroni was able to stop it and had Lindland’s head between his legs. The pace slowed as both fighters were spent and it looked like if Baroni had one more burst of energy and strikes, he may have stolen the bout. He won the third round but it was a case of too little too late and Lindland won a decision. The rematch also went the distance with Lindland winning a unanimous decision there.
Baroni/Amar Suloev: Baroni came out and really just bounced around for the first minute of the fight. Suloev wasn’t much busier, landing just two leg kicks in the same span of time. Finally 90 seconds into the bout, Amar puts together a combination of strikes and throws a head height roundhouse kick that Baroni blocks. Suloev throws a jumping knee that lands square in the face of Baroni and has him wobbling. The Russian fighter cups Phil’s head to finish him with strikes, landing a right hand and right roundhouse kick to the head. He follows with wild combinations to bring Phil down but he’s still standing.
Baroni falls forward to his knees and out of instinct, Suloev knees Baroni in the face while he’s on both knees. It is a foul. Surprisingly, Baroni tried to fight through it and even took Suloev down before Big John was able to break them and assess the foul. Baroni elects not to use the five-minute rest allowed after a rule infraction and they begin again. They clinch with Baroni scoring an uppercut inside and Suloev getting a textbook takedown and landing in mount. He rolls to his back and then tries to sink an armbar but Baroni gets up and strikes down, eventually getting side mount and finishes him with strikes on the mat. Suloev looked terrible after the short pummeling and Baroni relished in the victory, rubbing it in his face.
Baroni/Dave Menne: With this one, it’s going to take longer for you to read this than the fight lasted. They felt each other out quickly and Phil tagged him with an overhand right and Dave stumbled. Baroni followed him to the corner and unleashed wave of punches that left Menne KO’d while still holding on to the chain link fence. Baroni came out saying he wanted to KO Menne early and he did just that, dropping the former UFC champion in just 18 seconds.
Baroni/Evan Tanner: Phil’s pre-fight comments set the tone stating “Tanner’s jaw will be in the 6th row. Catch it and I’ll autograph that b**ch for ya.” Same old Phil. To begin the bout, Tanner threw a leg kick and Baroni fires a short right hand that seemed to stun Evan. They fight in the corner with Baroni tagging Tanner with rights and Evan seeking a takedown. Short hard punches did serious damage to Tanner’s face and the bout was halted to check him out. They allow it to continue and Phil goes back to work. He blasts Tanner with another right and Evan desperately tries to get in the clinch. Tanner works knees in tight and Baroni answers with punches to the head. A shaky Tanner fires a leg kick and clings to the side of the cage. They clinch again with Tanner working kicks to the legs and body and Baroni firing at his head. Phil starts to look tired, like he’s punching himself out and Evan brings him to the mat via double-leg takedown. Tanner eventually goes to mount and begins to elbow Baroni’s face. He sits back and pounds on Phil, but many of the blows are blocked. However, some are getting through and referee Larry Landless asks Phil if he wants out. After the fight, Phil claims he thought Landless was saying “do you want to keep going.” The bout is stopped and Baroni lashes out and punches Landless in the face twice. At least Phil had the class to apologize for his actions but the slap on the wrist suspension from fighting and the scolding he got from Dana White may not have been enough. Apparently, Landless suffered some consequences as well for just doing his job.
STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES: Physically, his wrestling skills are his greatest attribute but you can’t talk about Baroni without mentioning his heart. It is hard to believe but it is actually bigger than his mouth. He’s in every fight and though he comes off like a punk, you have to respect his determination and desire to be a champion. He’s a strong guy, having been a competitive bodybuilder, but he seems to gas when pushed beyond the first round. This is still a problem as it may have cost him early in the Tanner fight. And as far as a ground game, he’s one-dimensional. The only submissions you’re likely to see out of Phil are a front or guillotine choke and a rear-choke. He’s all about the striking.
HOW HE CAN BEAT TANNER: On the feet. The strikes he was throwing were connecting and Tanner looked rocked on more than one occasion. If he can keep the momentum going from last time and not run out of gas, he’ll KO Tanner early in the bout.
EVAN TANNER (Photo Gallery