After several days of confusion and uncertainty, multiple mainstream outlets have confirmed that former UFC and PRIDE fighter Phil Baroni has been arrested in Mexico for allegedly murdering his girlfriend. The New York Post, CBS News and The Associated Press have verified MMA Mania’s initial report from Tribuna De La Bahia.
According to police documents, Baroni does not deny killing his partner, whose full name has still not been released. However, he claims her death was an accident after he threw her in a shower during an argument over infidelity.
Baroni says the woman hit her head when he threw her, then hit her head again as she fell to the ground. He says he helped her up into their hotel bed, then went to get some beer and cigarettes. When he returned, she was unconscious. He reported the police, who found the victim with “multiple signs of beatings” and “no vital signs”.
New info from ESPN Desportes reporter Carlos Contreras Legaspi shares an update on Baroni, who was moved from a temporary jail cell in the notoriously violent CERESO Estatal No. 3 prison where 19 people died in a prison break last week. He faces a sentence of 30 to 50 years for murder.
“UPDATE on the Phil Baroni case,” Legaspi wrote on Twitter. “The former Pride/SF/UFC fighter was transported to Tepic, capital of Nayarit, where he is now in a state prison (CERESO). His hearing will take place on Monday where a judge will determine his legal status. If guilty, the sentence ranges from 30 to 50 years.
Legaspi clarified in another tweet that the judge will determine whether the evidence in the case meets the standard for a murder trial, which would take place later.
One piece of evidence that won’t play well for Baroni is photos taken by police of his hands outside his hotel room. His right hand appears red and swollen along his knuckles.
Phil Baroni is an experienced combat sports mate and has fought for nearly every major MMA organization in his 20 year career. After his semi-retirement from the sport in 2014, “The New York Bad Ass” transitioned into professional wrestling, joining a tag team with UFC trailblazer Stephan Bonnar. While the team showed potential, Baroni’s erratic behavior quickly derailed the new career.
Former UFC champion and professional wrestler Josh Barnett believes the behavior he witnessed at Baroni in recent years was the result of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) suffered in fights.
“I have seen the decline of the man I have been friends with for so long to where he was the last time I saw him, and it is heartbreaking,” Barnett wrote. “Now with what happened in Mexico, it’s so awful.”
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