MMA veteran Phil Baroni has officially retired from MMA at the age of 45 years old. Baroni finishes his career with a professional record of 16 wins and 19 losses.
Baroni started his MMA career back in the year 2000. His name is held in high regard within the MMA community and is recognized as one of the standout names during what many consider the pioneer era of the sport.
Baroni Retires from MMA
Recently, Phil took to social media to announce that he is finally retiring from the sport of MMA. Additionally, he explained that his choice to retire probably should have made the decision years ago.
Im 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 a go. Adios Amegos for Mexico
— phil baroni (@philbaroni) August 21, 2021
“Im 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 a go. Adios Amegos for Mexico,” wrote Baroni.
He then followed the message by explaining that head coach Javier Mendes encouraged Phil to leave the game previously. But, Baroni decided to continue fighting.
Career in Review
Baroni’s last professional fight took place in 2019. He fought Sai Wang for the Rebel FC Middleweight Championship. Unfortunately, Baroni lost the matchup by a rear-naked choke in the first round of the fight.
Phil will most likely be remembered for his time spent in the early stages of the UFC in the early 200s. As well as the time that he spent fighting in PRIDE, a legendary MMA promotion that has since became extinct.
Some of his accomplishments in the sport include knocking out Ryo Chonan with a punch at PRIDE Bushido 8. In addition to fighting for the inaugural Strikeforce Middleweight Championship.
Now that Baroni is retired, it’ll be interesting to see what he pursues next. In the past, Baroni has appeared on television in several independent films. No matter what he decides to do next, MiddleEasy congratulates Baroni on a standout career.