Ground and Pound - Fightnews

GroundandPound: Thank you for the interview, Phil. How are you?
Phil Baroni: I’m good.

We learned that you signed a contract as a commentator for the new organization in India – Super Fight League. What can you tell us about the upcoming organization?
I know it’s going to be big. The guys behind it are super successful and they are spending money. They know what they are getting into and going for it.

You seem to enjoy your time in Asia, starting to train there, then fight there for One FC and now working as a commentator?
Yeah, I like Asia a lot. I always have. But it’s a big place and very different. You can’t compare Thailand to Korea or Japan to Singapore . I have no idea what India will be like but from what I have researched it’s a whole 'nother ball of wax.

As I mentioned, your last fight was for One FC in Singapore. How did you like the show?
I loved it. It was bigger and better than I expected. The show quality was outstanding. All the fighters were skilled and in good condition. It was a top notch show. I can compare it to my days fighting in Bushido and it also had the feel of the UFC before TUF. It was professional, yet still somewhat exotic. Like the movie Blood Sport. Different fighters from all over the globe coming together to see who was the best. I liked being the token white boy and representing America.

You got defeated by Yoshiyuki Yoshida at the event, what went wrong for you in that fight?
I don’t like to make excuses for losses. That won’t happen to me again. I had a bad fight and didn't fight to my potential or to the expectations One FC had for me.

What did you do since the fight?
Well, I was eating like a fat pig and boosing a bit. I had surgery right after my fight and made the best of my down time in Vegas. But the last few months I been rehabbing hard. I’ve been lifting weights and doing stuff to make me a better athlete. I’m cleared to start training full out now and am I’m training and getting strong and fit.

How does your contract with One FC look like, do you have another fight scheduled with them?
I ’ll be fighting again for them soon. I don’t like to talk about my personal relationship with One FC out in the open, like everyone does in the USA with the UFC. I’m happy with the deal I have with One FC.

Do you already know when you will be back in the cage?
April or May. Nothing is signed yet, nothing is official. But once I start, I plan on fighting regularly and kick ass again. I plan on staying in the gym and fight every 6 to 8 weeks if possible.

How big is MMA in Singapore?
I think it’s going to be huge just like it will be in the rest of the world. Singapore I believe is a great market for MMA. But what do I know, I’m only a fighter. That’s not my business. Evolve is a big gym over there with world class fighters. It’s growing and is very successful. I think Singapore will be a hot bed for MMA in the future.

How successful do you think can One FC be on a global basis?
One FC is already huge in South-East Asia, they have a huge TV deal with ESPN Asia. They are on 600 million homes. That’s one of the reasons I went out and contacted One FC about me going and competing for them. I saw the potential South-East Asia had. I wanted to get in on it in the beginning. Be a pioneer over there like Gracie, Shamrock, and Coleman in the US.

Finally, do you have anything else you want to tell your fans?
Just thanks for the support for all these years. I appreciate the support. Follow me on Twitter @philbaroni, friend request me on facebook, and check out my website TheNewYorkBadAss.com. I’m going to be posting blogs on there, videos and shit. I’m trying to make it cool for my fans. Check it out. Oh and to my new fans in Singapore: Don’t worry ladies, I ‘ll be bringing sexy back really soon.

Daniel Scherhammer is editor for GroundandPound.de – the premier martial arts website for German-speaking Europe. He covers Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and Grappling. For more news, rumors, and comments follow him on Twitter @DanielS_GnP.