Phil “The New York Badass” Baroni has undergone a lot of change since his fight with Amir Sadollah. I remember an article or tweet by Ariel Helwani which stated that he saw Baroni sitting in the crowd after a UFC event staring into space, wondering what was left for him in this business. Since then, he went to Thailand in an attempt to improve his striking and reinvent himself.
He’ll have a chance to show us his new tricks at UFC 118 when he takes on John Salter, according to MMA Fighting.
Meanwhile, UFC 118 happens Aug. 28 at the TD Garden in Boston, Mass. and will be headlined by Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn and Randy Couture vs. James Toney.
Baroni returned to the UFC last November and lost a decision to Amir Sadollah. Baroni, 34, actually contemplated retirement Friday, but has since reconsidered. Salter, who will be fighting in the UFC for the third time this year, lost his UFC debut in January to Gerald Harris, but won in May against Jason MacDonald when MacDonald suffered a gruesome leg injury.
Loser, prepare to leave town. Salter may have won his last fight, but it was because of an injury that was just gross to watch, not his personal skill.
In this fight, there are two very big keys. First, John Salter will be looking to take the fight to the ground early and often against the jiu-jitsu challenged Baroni. Second, a big reason for Baroni’s last loss was the fact that he gassed after the first round. While Sadollah worked Baroni the whole fight, you like to believe that he would have at least have had a chance to come back and maybe score a finish against Sadollah.
All in all, I expect Salter to end the UFC career of the New York Badass.
Tags: Amir Sadollah, boston, Frankie Edgar, Gerald Harris, James Toney, Jason MacDonald, MMA, Randy Couture, UFC, UFC 118
Original Story:
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