The Pav Says... Phil Baroni's a True Entertainer

Orginally posted by Ken Pavia [ken-pavia] on Mar 23, 2008 at 7:11 pm in

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Has there ever been a boring Phil Baroni fight? Let's keep it real: fighters are entertainers. The "NYBA" entertains, plain and simple. He is one of the best interviews. His ring entrance is worth the price of admission. He truly believes -- sometimes until his very last breath -- that he is going to win every fight. His confidence is not manufactured.

In round three of that Kala Hose fight last week in ICON Sport, referee Chris West stopped the fight to restart it in the center of the ring. Baroni's left eye had swollen nearly shut. What you couldn't see on the televised version was Baroni actually covered his face with his glove to obstruct West's view to eliminate any chance of a stoppage. In the fourth round, West got a good look at Baroni's face and during a break in the action asked him if he wanted the fight stopped. Baroni's response was, "No DICK, why would you axe ME that?"

Baroni could have taken the easy way out in the first round with a jits sub attempt, but he wanted to make it dramatic; hence the head stomps and soccer kicks. When his gas tank went empty, he didn't offer up an arm or look for a way out as many would have. What the televised portion also did not show was a fan ran into our corner and tried to throw in the towel. Josh "The Punk" Thompson and I had to restrain him until security got him. I fully believed that despite the punishment he was taking, Baroni had that one big punch that, if landed, would have made a Rocky-like finish. I swear as the fight progressed, I was hearing that music from "Rocky I."

Baroni has become to MMA what Arturo Gatti became to boxing. While it is difficult to watch some of the punishment he takes, I know he is never out of a fight, and for his last two fights in particular, the crowd stood for every second of the battle and the noise level live was deafening. Watching his fights live and in person is truly an event.

It was a tribute to him that there were about 20 people waiting for him at the hospital besides the obvious: his family, and cornermen Punk, Trevor Prangley, and Mark Coleman. Even rival promoter Mike Miller from X1 waited for him just to show his respect and to see if he could be of help afterward. The phone calls of support didn't stop from Randy Couture to Dewey Cooper to Mike Pyle to Joe Silva. The rest of the trip was memorable. We hung out by the pool and beach while I worked the phones, had some "gangsta sushi" (Baroni's words), and contemplated the next move. Funny but three offers came in for the same or more money after the loss. Ultimately Baroni is now in what he calls conditioning shape and is going right back to the gym upon his return.

Shorts…

It has been nearly nine months since Brett Rogers knocked out Hawaiian golden gloves champ Dutche Pu, at an X1 event, a fight that is still not up on his record. Almost everywhere I went in Hawaii people asked me if he is for real. He is now 7-0 with 7 KOs and has only been to the second round once. He also has only been training two years. The only weakness I can see in his game is his victory dance, which if you saw it live, would make you cringe. It was kind of like the leprechaun in the Lucky Charms commercial. Otherwise Rogers is a very scary man, and Kimbo Slice better be very careful.
OK, I have never actually seen the Jedi mind trick work in an MMA fight, but Andre Arlovski pulled it off. Yes, Jake O'Brien won the first round of their UFC 82 fight earlier this month. Yes, O'Brien won the first four minutes of round two. Yes, he made a mistake and hipped up to defend the knees and got tripped and mounted. But while in mount, Arlovski proceeded to play patty cake and throw slaps that couldn't break a pane of glass for 30 or so seconds. He turned to the ref and lied said O'Brien was out. Now, I swear I saw him moved his hand in a half circle motion like Obi-Wan Kenobi did in "Star Wars." The referee jumped right in. I think I threw up in my mouth a little.
The power of the pen never ceases to amaze me. The three sites I constantly plug, myspace.com/kenpavia, www.MMAagents.com, and www.MMA-locker.com get twice the traffic after the articles go up on here on MMAjunkie.com. The MMAagents site was designed to bring my 50 guys a little closer to the fans and expose them to more fight and sponsor opportunities. The fighters have expressed an interest in reaching out even further, so look for a greatly expanded blog section complete with behind-the-scenes videos, fighter penned articles, sponsor highlights, and legal analysis that will be done in conjunction with MMAjunkie.com. Put your seatbelt on; it is coming soon.
Everyone clowned "Razor" Rob McCullough when he hired "a chick" to be his hands coach. He won four fights in a row and held the WEC title and they stopped clowning. Although Erin Toughill only holds focus mitts, she does it as well if not better then anyone in the hotbed of MMA, Orange County. She even throws the gear on and spars with Razor once in a while. I have seen him dislodge an ovary mid-round, but she gets right back up and keeps coming. And she is easy on the eyes (god, I hope she doesn't punch me in the face for saying that). She can't get girls to fight her, so she will be taking her game to a different arena. Look for Toughill to throw a beatdown in the upcoming season of "American Gladiators."
Just because nice guys don't get enough credit, I have to give a shout out to clients that I have who are just plain too nice to fit the preconception of fighters. The two that come immediately to mind kiss me as if I was a brother every time I see them. Heterosexuals Ivan Salaverry and Vince Lucero are both class acts and are guys that make you genuinely want to help them. I got to spend some time with Salaverry on my recent trup, and he is expecting his second child, building his dream home, and training for his fight. He owns a gym in Seattle, and if you are ever up in the area, stop in and check it out. He is very approachable. Lucero is a different story. He is in a bind. His last three fights that were booked were cancelled last minute. Here is a heavyweight with nearly 40 fights who likes to stand and bang and has never been knocked out. If you are looking for a heavyweight for a card, holler for Vince. You won't be disappointed.
By the way, honorable mention on the nice-guy thing goes to trainer Saul Soliz and his two pupils who I represent: Todd Moore and Carlo Prater. Soliz doesn't just make good fighters; he makes good people. He is a great mentor and is very demanding of the guys he works with. Fighters are often hard headed and have their own agenda, something that holds many of them back. Moore and Prater have followed Soliz, and he has led them well. Both present very well, are very grateful of all opportunities, and are overly mannered if there is such a thing. If you are looking for a place to move to and train, I recommend -- without reservation -- Saul's gym in Houston. Hell, he is good enough for Tito Ortiz to bring up to every one of his training camps, and he teaches every aspect of the game.
Frank Shamrock is a dick for blowing the whistle on his brother's alleged steroid use. It is one think to hype a fight; it is another to accuse someone of illegal acts without support. It is off the charts to screw your brother, blood or not. Quite frankly it is actionable, and I hope Ken sues him. I am not sure if Cung Le is the right guy, but someone will get him, and karma is a bitch. That is my two cents.