Tweet
Inside Fighting.com - Between Rounds
Less than two months ago, Phil Baroni acted without thinking. Phil made a mistake. It was a big mistake that he’s still paying for today. Because of that mistake, the Department of Athletic Regulations for the Mohegan Sun held an emergency session just moments after the fight and revoked Phil’s license and fined him $5,000. Of course, Nevada quickly announced that it would honor the Mohegan Sun’s decision. None of that is in contention. Those are the facts. But that is not the whole story.
What is in controversy is the severity of the punishment, and the apparent rush to judgment by the Mohegan Sun. Did they act fairly by holding an emergency meeting and rendering a decision while emotions were still high? Is revoking his license rather than a short-term suspension really justice in this case? Will the penalty be reduced in an appeal? Some of those questions will be answered after an almost certain appeal by Baroni. But they cannot answer the obvious questions on everyone’s mind. What’s Phil Baroni’s side of the story?
InsideFighting: Phil, it’s good to hear from you. How’s life been since UFC 45?
Phil Baroni: Man, life’s been tough. It’s like they’re always saying in fighting. When you’re winning, everyone wants to be there to pick you up and be around you. And when **** like this happens, you’re left by yourself to pick up all the pieces. That’s what I’ve been doing – picking up the pieces.
IF: I understand that you’ve had your license revoked (but can reapply in 1 year) due to the unfortunate situation that occurred after the stoppage in the Tanner fight. I also understand that you plan to appeal your suspension to try and get it reduced, so you may not be able to answer this question. But what was going through your mind when the referee, Larry Landless, stopped the fight?
PB: Dude, to be honest with you, I don’t really remember everything. I can only say what I remember, and I’m not going to make up a story for what I don’t remember. Okay? I just remember, for some reason, thinking that he was really going to stop the fight. I was basically scared to death that he was going to stop the fight because that was the last thing that I wanted. I wasn’t in any trouble whatsoever. I remember that. All I was afraid of was the fight getting stopped. Honestly, I don’t remember the exact words going back and forth. I don’t remember what he said exactly or what I said exactly. And I don’t remember anything after the whole situation. Obviously, I’ve seen the tape and I know what happened. I’ve seen what transpired. To be honest with you, I don’t know what I was thinking or trying to do at that point. I don’t believe in any shape or form that I was trying to hurt him. I don’t know what I was doing. I’m sorry for what happened. I wasn’t in a good state of mind at that time, and I guess my emotions got the best of me.
IF: Honestly, I was shocked that Landless was trying to talk to you during the action. Granted, I’ve seen boxing referees ask fighters if they want to continue, but it’s always during a break or after a knockdown. But I’ve never seen a referee ask questions while a fighter is defending himself. Is that the first time a referee’s ever talked to you during the action?
PB: No. I’ve been in a trouble a little bit in other fights before. McCarthy was a referee in one of those fights and he told me that you’ve gotta move – “you’ve gotta move!” So I just move. But he never tried to have a conversation with me. You know, after I got kneed by Amar Suleov, he asked me if I needed a minute. I said “no, I’m good.” So it’s like you said, only after a break in the action when someone is hurt, like when someone’s getting up from a count or something like that, has a referee asked me if I wanted to continue. And I’ve always said “yes.” But I’ve never been in any other situation where I felt the need to answer the referee during the action. But when Larry Landless was asking me whatever he was asking me – I really don’t remember what he was asking me – I just felt like I really needed to answer him.
IF: Were you hurt at all by any of the blows by Tanner at that point?
PB: No, I was not hurt at that point. Well, my feelings were hurt after the fight was stopped. But that’s about it.
IF: Did you know how much time was left during the round when Tanner got the mount?
PB: Yeah, I did. I did something stupid, and I’m mad at myself for doing it. I heard his corner yell “short time,” which is basically a wrestling term for when there’s not much time left in the round. My arms were kind of tired at that point for some reason. I don’t know why because I trained really hard for the fight. But my arms were kind of tired at that point, so kind of let him get the takedown. I didn’t really fight the last takedown like I fought all the other takedown attempts. I thought I’d just hold him in my guard, ride out the round, and knock him out in the next round. But somehow he passed my guard, and I don’t know how. I’ve watched the tape a thousand times. I’ve watched the tape with my coach, Mark Laimon and everyone else. And I still don’t know how he passed my guard. It was terrible. That’s a bad way to let someone pass your guard and get mounted. But I was still fine. Hey, I believe this is the toughest sport in the world, so let’s keep it that way. If you want to quit, all you have to do is tap out. If you want out, that’s your way. It’s that simple! That’s the way the sport is supposed to be. It’s supposed to be that way, and to soften it would be to lose the sport. You have the ability to tap out. If I wanted to get out of there, I would have tapped. There’s no reason to talk. It was even brought to my attention that Joe Silva himself stated that the refs have been told not to talk to the fighters during the fight.
IF: That’s an interesting point. Do you think that with all the talk and focus on bringing MMA to a more mainstream audience that maybe the referees are starting to stop the fights a little too early compared to a few years ago?
PB: Maybe. Maybe that’s good too. No, certainly that’s good. But that stoppage was ridiculous, in my mind. In my mind, it was ridiculous. I wasn’t hurt in anyway when he stopped the fight.
IF: Although I can’t remember the source, I think I read somewhere that Larry said he would have let the fight continue had you not made an aggressive move toward him because he felt he made a mistake. How do you feel about that statement?
PB: I heard that too, actually. I’m not sure if he said that or if it’s a rumor. He never told me that personally. So it’s hard to say if he would have restarted the fight or not. That’s like him admitting that he messed up. But you never know because Larry is a nice guy, so he might have restarted the action, especially knowing me like he does. The UFC is like a traveling family – you have the same referees at every show, so we see each other all the time. So he knows that I don’t quit. It’s just not me. If I quit in that situation, that would be the last fight I would ever fight. That’s for sure. It’s just not me. You know, people nowadays use the phrase a lot, “this guy is a warrior.” I’m not saying I’m a warrior or anything like that. I’m just saying that I’m not a quitter. I wouldn’t quit in that situation or any situation. I’ve never quit anything in my life. So I was just upset. I was in front of my hometown, and to make me look like I verbally tapped out was completely ridiculous.
IF: How long did you train for the Tanner fight?
PB: Well, I got cleared on August 1st. Actually, I basically cleared myself to start training on August 1st. I couldn’t even lift a 5 pound pink dumbbell to do a bench press, you know? So I was pretty weak to start the training. But I felt like I was in good shape for the fight. But I felt like I made a lot of mistakes during my preparation. Actually, you know, I’m not going to make any excuses. I’m not going to take anything away from Evan Tanner. He showed a lot of heart and put up a great fight. So I’m not going to make any excuses about my preparation for that fight. But I learned a lot about preparing for fights. I learned what to do and what not to do, and who to listen to and who not to listen to.
IF: Speaking of your pec tear, are you back to 100% today? Or do you still feel the effects of the tear?
PB: Again, without taking anything away from Evan Tanner or his performance, no, man. Doctors told me I wouldn’t be able to train full bore for a year after the surgery. Yet, I was fighting after 8 months. So is it 100% today? No, it’s not 100%. I’m not 100%. For example, during sparring with Chuck Liddell and stuff like that, I knew that I wasn’t at the point where I was before the injury. But I felt that I was good enough to beat Evan Tanner, so I took the chance. Honestly, I needed the money. That’s where I was at, and I needed the money. So I took the fight.
IF: Off the subject, but since you brought up the subject of money, let’s talk about that. As you know, Rich Franklin recently went over to Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye to fight for an increased paycheck. Forget your suspension and other things preventing you from fighting at the moment. Have you ever, or would you ever consider going after the money and fighting in Japan?
PB: I’m friends with Rich Franklin. We’re pretty good friends. We always talk and stuff. We talked at the UFC when he fought Evan Tanner and I was doing the broadcast. We’ve been friends ever since. We keep in contact by phone and always talk at all the UFCs. So in his situation, I don’t know. He’s older than me, and he has a wife. So it’s different. I want to fight in the UFC. I want to be recognized in the UFC. I want to be recognized by the American fans. I don’t want to fight in Japan and have nobody know about it. Do you know what I mean? I’m loyal to the UFC. They gave me my chance, my start, and they’ve supported me through all my ups and downs.
IF: Certainly. You want to be a household name in the UFC.
PB: Exactly. I want to be recognized in the US, not in Japan. Money is not the reason that I fight. I have a college degree and whatnot. If I wanted to make money, I’d do something else. All these other fighters want to be rich and famous, but that’s not why you should fight. You’re not going to be rich in the UFC or any other US organization. I do it for pride and honor. I do it to prove everything to myself. I don’t to it for anything else. I know I’m not going to be rich fighting. I didn’t come into it with that expectation. You know, other guys want to be movie stars and stuff, and that’s all fine and good. If you want to parlay your fighting career into the movies, more power to you. But I don’t see it happening. You know, all the bodybuilders want to be Arnold Schwartzenegger. But there’s only one Arnold Schwartzenegger. Do you feel me?
IF: Definitely.
PB: You know, I think that I could be a movie star if I wanted to be a movie star. But that’s not my goal. I don’t want that. But if anybody could be that guy, I think I could be that guy. But I have no desire to do that. I just want to fight and become a champion. My goal is to be the UFC champion of the world, an undisputed champion.
IF: Speaking of championships, how does it make you feel to know that Zuffa basically has no short term plan for the middleweight championship? It’s like they put the belt on the pay no mind list after Bustamante left.
PB: Yeah, man. It sucks. But there’s really no standout champion at 185 right now. I really don’t feel that there is right now. I think that Bustamante was, but he took a gamble on his career the way Rich Franklin did. But he ended up with the short end of the stick. I feel that I could be that guy. If I fight the way that I know I can fight. And if I beat the guys that I’m supposed to beat, then there would be a reason to make a belt in that division. But the way guys are now, they aren’t loyal to the organization. They just fight for money. So I can see why the UFC doesn’t want champions. How do you break a UFC contract? Win a belt! How do you get out of a UFC contract? Win a title! That’s a little joke among fighters.
IF: Is the Tito Ortiz holdout and contract situation the root of that little joke?
PB: Right. You have Tito Ortiz. The UFC has been nothing but good to that guy. I wish the UFC had paid for my surgery the way they did for Tito and Ken Shamrock. Of course, I'm not saying I'm Ken Shamrock right now, I think if anyone can take his place it would be me. You know, a mainstream, breakout kind of fighter like Ken Shamrock. But I’ve got to scramble around to get $5000 to pay for this lawyer. I’m scrambling around for that money, which is ridiculous. I’ve fought for over $90,000 for the UFC. And I believe that I did $90,000 worth of work. But because of the injury, the loss, the fine and everything else, I can’t even pay this lawyer to see if I can be reinstated or not. I don’t know. It’s just frustrating, man. It’s really frustrating. I’m just a guy who just wants to fight. I want nothing more than to fight. I’m a fighter, and I’m not trying to do nothing more than that. I’m not trying to trick anyone or fool anyone or trying to get anything that I don’t deserve. But I feel like I keep coming up on the short end of the stick. It’s frustrating, you know? I’m sure there are a lot of other guys in other places in life who do a lot of work and don’t get any reward, but it sucks! [We both laugh]
IF: Have you had any discussions with Dana White or anyone else at Zuffa since the incident? If so, have they been supportive toward you at all?
PB: The UFC has been very supportive – as much as they can be – with this situation. They’re sending their lawyer to help me and my lawyer file an appeal of the punishment. You know, Dana has tough love for me. He puts me in there with all the toughest fighters at my weight. I don’t get any gimmie fights. He does the same thing with Chuck Liddell. We fight only the toughest guys. So maybe it’s not such a good idea to be homies! [laughs] I consider him and Joe Silva as friends outside of fighting. But when it comes to business, it’s tough love and even tougher opponents, like I said. All in all those guys have done a lot for the sport. I owe them my livelihood.
IF: So what’s the goal with the appeal?
PB: To get my punishment changed to a 3-month suspension, so that I can fight on the April card in Las Vegas.
IF: After the Tanner fight, you were very emotional. Your apology at the press conference seemed very genuine. How did the other fighters react to you that night and since that night?
PB: I think a lot of the fighters support me. How are they supposed to act in that situation? Fighters who are my friends support me. There’s one fighter in particular who’s a real piece of ****. He’s the only fighter who’s come out publicly and said that I got what I deserved, I could have gotten more and stuff like that. But he’s just a jealous piece of ****, you know? I don’t give a **** about him and I don’t think anyone else does either. But most of the fighters have been supportive. I’ve probably gotten calls from just about everyone who has my number. They all called me and said that it was bull**** they all felt badly for me. I don’t need anyone to feel bad for me. But a lot of the fighters feel that my punishment was too harsh. Granted, I was out of line, and I should be punished. But to take a man’s livelihood away from him for a year is very, very harsh in my opinion. You know, a lot of guys called me and that made me feel a little better about the whole thing though. At least I didn’t lose anything in the eyes of my peers.
IF: So is it your understanding that you’re precluded from fighting outside of the country as well?
PB: Yeah, I’m ****ed. If I fight outside of the country, I’ll be suspended in America indefinitely. Promotions like Pride are trying to come to America, so they’re not going to sign me either. If I fight outside of the country, I’d be shooting myself. I won’t be able to fight here anymore.
IF: In closing, is there anything that you’d like to say to your fans out there? You know, there are two distinct classes of fans out there. The ones who love Phil Baroni, and the ones who love to hate Phil Baroni. What’s your message to the fans?
PB: I’m in a tough situation, but I’m not going to give up. You know, they always say that you fall down 7 times, but you stand up 8 times. And that’s just the bottom line. If there’s not pain and suffering required to reach a goal, then, in my mind, you won’t really feel the joy you feel when you reach it. That’s how I feel. It’s been a long hard fight this whole way. But when I win a title, after going through all this turmoil, it will be worth it. It will be worth it. Above all, I thank the fans that support me. I know I'd be nothing with out them and their support. You know, I don’t portray myself as a role model nor do I try to be one, but if there is one thing I can offer to people that are struggling it’s to NEVER GIVE UP! Tough times don’t last tough people do.
IF: One last question. You know, Phil, something that really shocked me when I first met you was the difference between your UFC persona and you as a person away from the ring. You’re a larger than life personality in the ring, but very respectful and humble outside of it. What’s that all about?
PB: What you see is what you get with me. There are definitely two sides to Phil Baroni. Most people only get to see the kill or be killed side of me. I’m a lot different when I’m training for a fight or actually fighting. There’s a whole different side of me that comes out. When its fight time, I’m in a different state of mind. All I’m focused on is the fight and everything else is incidental. So people typically don’t get to see how I am on a regular day-to-day basis. I do a lot of charity and volunteer stuff, but why talk about that? I don’t do that to get recognition. I do that out of my heart. In fact, I don’t want people to know that side of me. That’s my business. That's for my family and close friends to see. All I want the fans to know and respect is that I’m a game fighter. That I fight till the end with the will to win. I gave up a long time ago trying to make everyone like me. I know that’s never gonna happen. All I want from the public is to be known as a tough kid that’s all heart, and like me or not I’ll always be cared about one way or the other. So they will pack the arena to see me battle. Why? Because they always know I will bring excitement and show gameness. Feel me?
IF: No doubt. Well, thank you for being so candid with us. I certainly appreciate it.
PB: No problem. Thank you for your support. It was good talking to you.
Comment