Keith Lee finds a new calling, sparks first feelgood story of 2023 in MMA

2023’s first ten days have pretty much sucked for MMA fans. In a nutshell, Dana White and his wife were involved in a domestic violence incident, Phil Baroni was arrested for murder, Anthony Rocco Martin has been charged with simple assault of a police officer, Dillon Danis dropped out of his fight with KSI, Ilia Topuria was involved in a bar fight, another former UFC fighter was charged with a brutal assault, Victoria Lee tragically passed away at the age of 18, and Diego Sanchez has somehow managed to get licensed to fight in bare-knuckle boxing.

All that comes after a rough end to 2022 with the UFC involved in a betting scandal, three of its fighters for some reason choosing to visit Chechnya to shoot guns and celebrate the birthday of a dictator’s son, and a judging controversy.

So thank you, Keith Lee, former Bellator fighter, who found a new calling as a food critic, and has helped boost business by the thousands for several restaurants. Oh, and he still intends to fight.

MMA Fighting did an upbeat 1-on-1 with Lee recently, which you can check out — or just jump to his TikTok to get his food reviews directly. Or better yet do both.

After a rough start to the year, we all needed that.

Dillon Danis banned by Misfits Boxing

After no-showing a press conference then dropping out of his fight with KSI altogether, Dillon Danis has been banned by Misfits Boxing.

Banned from what isn’t clear, since it’s pretty clear he never had any intention of showing up.

Somewhat unrelated, but here’s a clip of Danis being eviscerated by Ariel Helwani.

Happy holidays pic.twitter.com/7PVOKelqRs

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 22, 2022

Baroni formally charged with Femicide in Mexico

Former UFC fighter Phil Baroni, who fought all over the globe in a career that saw stops in Strikeforce, KOTC, Bellator, ONE Championship, PRIDE, and other organizations, has been formally charged with femicide in Mexico.

“Femicide” is generally defined as the killing of a woman or women due to their gender. As previously reported by Cageside Press and other outlets, Baroni was arrested in Mexico after flagging police in San Pacho and alerting them to an unresponsive female in his hotel room. Baroni allegedly told police that after the woman, identified as his girlfriend, confessed to cheating on him, he demanded she take a shower — then physically threw her into the shower when she refused.

Baroni allegedly claimed that the woman later laid down in bed, and that he covered her with a sheet before leaving to get cigarettes at her request. However, per a report by ESPN Deportes (in Spanish), prosecutors identified 37 injuries on the victim’s body.

Multiple sources confirmed Baroni’s involvement to Cageside Press after the allegations first surfaced, as reports initially did not identify the suspect. He’s now looking at a prison sentence between 50 to 75 years, if convicted.

Baroni last fought in MMA in 2019, and later announced his retirement from the sport. He won a boxing match in Mexico the following year, and per his social media presence, has been living in the country.

The former fighter is being housed at the CERESO Venustiano Carranza (state prison) in Tepic.

UFC pays tribute to late Victoria Lee

In an unexpected and welcome move, the UFC opted to pay tribute to late ONE Championship fighter Victoria Lee at the start of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 67 card.

The move comes as a surprise given the promotion often pretends as if the competition simply doesn’t exist — and none of the Lee siblings have ever competed for the organization.

The unfortunate passing of the 18-year old fighter transcends all that, however. Victoria Lee was a kind soul in a sport built on bravado and machismo, whose future looked as bright as the stars, with brother Cristian and sister Angela already hitting those heights.

The sport and world are all the worse without her. Good on the UFC for recognizing that.

RIP Victoria Lee. 🤍 pic.twitter.com/DujknAETVb

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 14, 2023

And Stephan Bonnar. Man, what a rough night

A second tribute at UFC Vegas 67 saw the main card open with a tribute to the late Stephan Bonnar.

Bonnar, like Lee, passed away in December, at the age of 45, of presumed heart complications.

Bonnar, along with Forrest Griffin, has long been credited with saving the UFC thanks to their memorable war at the original Ultimate Fighter finale in 2005. Though Griffin won the fight, both men were awarded UFC contracts, with the fight landing them in the promotion’s Hall of Fame in 2013.

Bonnar’s struggles in recent years were unfortunate, and he never achieved the same heights as Griffin in terms of career accolades. Yet his place as a fan favorite at a make-or-break time for the sport should not be overlooked; were it not for the Stephen Bonnars of the world, the UFC might never had made it.

Il a changé le visage des MMA.

Ce soir, nous rendons hommage a Stephen Bonnar. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/jrE6xXS2Ou

— UFC Québec (@UFCQuebec) January 15, 2023

The KSI vs. FaZe Temperrr card was… unwatchable at times

When your “mystery fighter” is a supposed pro boxer who fans accused of either taking a dive or being the worst pro ever (that’s Luis Alcaraz Pineda, for those unaware) after losing to KSI last year, you’ve got a problem. That was the scene in London on Saturday, where Pineda was revealed as the opponent of TikTok content creator BDave. Or is it DaveB? Dave and Busters? Whatever.

The celebrity boxing fad, outside of Jake Paul, is getting a bit long in the tooth. KSI himself might be able to draw things out, if he keeps getting the right match-ups. But Pineda, a pro who was left winded in a three round fight, versus BDave, was unwatchable. The fact that the “mystery fighter” came out to the Undertaker’s entrance theme (at least initially) felt like a sad parody of Israel Adesanya doing the same last year.

On the plus side, MMA vet Anthony Taylor picked up a win at the event. Full results can be found here.

The post Sunday MMA Quick Hits: UFC Pays Tribute to Victoria Lee, Keith Lee Finds Fame as Food Critic appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fred Kirby and Eddie Law talk the move to Cageside Press, and what viewers can expect from the show.

The fellas talk 2023 and, just five days in, the amount of drama that’s already happened in the MMA world. Dana White’s incident in Mexico, Phil Baroni being arrested for allegedly killing his girlfriend (also in Mexico), and the consequences and fallout from that.

Additionally they’ll touch on Dillon Danis pulling out of the boxing match with KSI, Ilia Topuria’s bar fight, and Bellator possibly being on the market.

Then they’ll touch on upcoming UFC, Bellator, ONE Championship and PFL events.

Oh, and of course the boys will talk about Jake Paul signing with PFL, offering Nate Diaz a two-fight deal, his role within PFL (as a fighter advocate, while helping to launch the Pay Per View Super-Fight division), and a whole lot more.

Keyboard Warriors is an interactive show so be sure to jump in the chat and hang out while we talk some face-punching!

Watch the show LIVE at 5:30PM PT/8:30PM ET on YouTube, Twitter (@CagesidePress) and Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/cagesidepress). Definitely Not Safe for Work — so viewer discretion is advised!

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Less than a week into the calendar year, and the biggest stories to date have been Dana White slapping his wife, Phil Baroni (allegedly) murdering his girlfriend, and Ilia Topuria engaging in a bar fight.

It’s a pretty crazy run of bad press when Topuria, who appeared to at least try to ignore the man clearly provoking him at a bar in Spain, comes out looking the better of the three.

Topuria’s not exactly known for having a level head, after all.

Still, with or without the Topuria incident in the mix, it’s a very bad time for MMA. And especially for the UFC.

The UFC’s 2022 year closed out with a number of scandals, including an ongoing federal investigation into fight fixing and betting irregularities, a judging scandal that resulted in immediate changes to California combat sports regulations (despite neither of the fights in question actually taking place in the state), and the boneheaded decision by three of the promotion’s former champions to take a (presumably) all-expenses paid vacation to that hot, hot tourist destination of Chechnya, to attend the birthday party of murderous dictator Ramazan Kadyrov’s son.

This kid? @Justin_Gaethje https://t.co/goOGB6icae

— Jay Anders🍁n 🇨🇦 (@CageSideJay) December 13, 2022

When I mentioned the braindead Chechnya excursion taken by Justin Gaethje, Kamaru Usman, and Henry Cejudo to a Russian ex-pat friend of mine, the suggestion that the trio be criminally charged was the immediate response. Russians know damn well that Kadyrov is bad news. Anyone following MMA in recent years does as well, as the pampered Putin crony has attempted to use the sport to boost his popularity at home.

The U.S. State Department recently weighed in on the matter, telling the New York Times that they were “aware” of ties between UFC fighters and heavily sanctioned dictator Kadyrov.

Given a number of Kadyrov’s family members, including children, wives, and cousins, are also on the sanctioned list, criminal charges aren’t entirely out of the question for anyone caught associating with the family.

But really, that’s just so 2022. 2023 has ushered in a whole host of problems for the UFC and Dana White, in just a matter of days. White immediately got ahead of the domestic violence story, as video of him slapping his wife (yes, in response to her slapping him, for those that must keep score) had just begun making the rounds. He took a somber, apologetic tone in a video interview with TMZ, stating “You’ve heard me say for years, ‘There’s never ever an excuse for a guy to put his hands on a woman,’ and now here I am on TMZ talking about it.”

White later added that “This is one of those situations that’s horrible. I’m embarrassed. It’s also one of those situations that — right now, we’re more concerned about our kids. We have three kids, and obviously, since the video popped up, we’ve shown the kids the video, and we’re more focused on our family right now.”

“People are going to have opinions on this, and most of the people’s opinions would be right, especially in my case. You don’t put your hands on a woman, ever.”

Dana White is essentially saying all the right words here. But what speaks volumes is what he is not saying. Were this any fighter under the UFC promotional banner, it’s likely some sort of suspension would be dished out, if not an outright cut. Luis Pena suffered that fate not too long ago, though the company (and to be fair, rival Bellator MMA) was more forgiving with the late Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s transgressions. But with White, it’s unclear if any sort of punishment will be handed down — despite his status as the face of the promotion, and most recognizable figure in the sport today not named Conor McGregor.

Even worse, video of White slapping his wife — who has come to his defense, stating that this was a one-time incident between her and her husband — comes in advance of the launch of Dana White’s Power Slap league. Yes, weeks before the launch of his slap fighting endeavor (a hilariously bad idea even before this incident), White managed to get caught on camera slapping his wife.

Given his name is on the product, broadcast partner TBS has a real problem on their hands. Just how do you market a slap fighting promotion operated by a guy all over the news for slapping his wife? It’s darkly comical, in a sad sort of way.

TBS did not response to a request for comment for this story. But the addition of the Phil Baroni arrest, for the alleged murder of his girlfriend in Mexico, just compounds problems. Not 24 hours after news of Baroni’s arrest broke, former UFC heavyweight champion Josh Barnett opened up and gave some insight into the Baroni of recent years — and it wasn’t pretty. Erratic behavior, unchecked emotions, and conduct deplorable enough that Barnett had to block the “New York Badass” on social media left the heavyweight of the opinion that Baroni was suffering from CTE.

That’s not the sort of story you want circulating just before, again, you launch a slap fighting league that is essentially a CTE buffet, with unprotected blows to the head the linchpin of the sport.

If you wanted to sum all this up as a simple meme, there’s always hold my beer, which is pretty much what 2023 uttered before showing 2022 just how much worse things could get. And there are no easy answers here, either: White may be closer to the end of his tenure as UFC President than ever before, but it’s unlikely he’s ready to step away, and there’s no clear indication that a successor is even in place. Hunter Campbell, maybe.

TBS has no doubt invested at least some money in Power Slap, and can you realistically short-change all the athletes and staff involved over the drunken stupidity of one promoter? Cancelling the entire show may not be reasonable, no matter how popular a decision it may be with slapfighting’s detractors (of which, quite frankly, I am one).

So what is Dana White and crew to do? If you came to this column looking for justice, or even answers, you came to the wrong place. Power ahead is likely what they will do. Maybe, though this is doubtful, a brief sabbatical and some soul searching for Dana White, who now has his family to answer to.

Maybe, just maybe, this will trigger the UFC, and parent company Endeavor, to come up with an iron-clad Code of Conduct that applies not just to fighters, but management as well. One that is actually used on a regular basis, not just a whim. Ari Emmanuel certainly talked a good game during Kayne West’s meltdown last year, urging corporations to cut ties with the singer, who made numerous controversial statements aimed at the Jewish community.

Is Emmanuel ready to walk the walk, and crack down on UFC President Dana White, knowing that the MMA promotion is Endeavor’s biggest moneymaker?

It’s doubtful, even if that’s what should happen.

What is more likely to happen? The next scandal will arrive, pushing January’s hangover-like spate of bad behavior to the side, soon to be a distant memory as whatever more pressing calamity lands in the headlines. Maybe the outcome of the ongoing betting investigations, and the fate of James Krause, will hit the spotlight.

None of that seems like a great alternative, mind you. When it comes to the UFC, it feels like there’s a rocky few months ahead.

The post Incredibly, UFC’s Rough Finish to 2022 Just Got Worse, And Won’t Be Better Soon appeared first on Cageside Press.

Barnett’s insights come in the wake of disturbing reports from Mexico, where Baroni was recently arrested for the alleged murder of his girlfriend.

“The New York Badass” appeared at Barnett’s inaugural Bloodsport event in 2019, alongside the likes of Davey Boy Smith Jr., Dan Severn, and Minoru Suzuki. The Game Changer Wrestling-backed shows combine MMA and pro wrestling in a sort of “worked shoot” angle; Baroni lost his lone appearance against Dominic Garrini by DQ.

According to Barnett, Baroni was game for more, but his behavior became a concern.

“The news about Phil Baroni is terrible and incredibly tragic as well,” Barnett wrote on social media on Wednesday. “I’ve known Phil for 2 decades + and at the 1st JB Bloodsport show could see that his personality and behavior was erratic, displaced, and emotionally he was all over the place and it was obvious why: CTE.”

The news about Phil Baroni is terrible and incredibly tragic as well.

I've known Phil for 2 decades + and at the 1st JB Bloodsport show could see that his personality and behavior was erratic, displaced, and emotionally he was all over the place and it was obvious why: CTE

— 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖒𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗 (@JoshLBarnett) January 4, 2023

“It was so tough dealing with him at the show that I couldn’t keep booking him even though I wanted to,” Barnett continued in a multi-part thread on the subject. “He was too much to handle and so scattered. He blew up at me because I hadn’t used him again and I blocked him on social media but there wasn’t much I could do.”

“Fighters need to take of themselves and those around them need to be vigilant and watchful as well. I’ve seen the decline from the man I have been friends with for so long to where he was last I saw him and it’s heartbreaking. Now with what has happened in [Mexico] it’s just so awful.”

Barnett went on to state that he was not in any way excusing Baroni’s actions. “No, this is not excusing nor defending. I have not and am not making those points. It is simply some personal opinion and context.”

One of the longest-tenured heavyweights in the sport, Barnett’s recollection of an erratic, emotionally unbalanced Baroni certainly does give some context to the tragedy south of the border. As far as the suggestion that CTE could play a factor, it’s definitely possible — though at present, the disease can only be properly diagnosed post-mortem.

A recent study by the British Journal of Sports Medicine found 41% of combat sports athletes tested positive for signs to CTE, in a group composed of active and retired fighters from both boxing and MMA. Totaling just 176 fighters in total, only 66 hailed from MMA. Of fighters flagged as positive for Traumatic Encephalopathy Syndrome (TES — the criteria for which are designed to represent clinical CTE), only 17% were among the MMA group, with the other 83% comprised of boxers, despite mixed martial artists making up 37.5% of the study. That would seem to suggest that the risk of developing CTE may be less for MMA fighters, though certainly not negligible.

Baroni’s last recorded combat sports endeavor was a boxing match in Mexico in December of 2021, which he won. In MMA, the UFC, PRIDE, Strikeforce, ONE Championship, and Bellator MMA veteran sports a 16-19 record. Baroni also competed in bare-knuckle boxing, and appeared in just under 40 recorded professional bouts in his 20+ year career.

The post Josh Barnett Says He Was Forced to Stop Booking “Erratic” Phil Baroni for Pro Wrestling Gig appeared first on Cageside Press.

The arrest was reported by Tribuna De La Bahia on Monday.

According to Tribuna De La Bahia Baroni, 46, allegedly killed his girlfriend while in San Pancho.

Baroni allegedly flagged down police who were patrolling the neighborhood and told them that his girlfriend was unconscious and needed help.

When the police arrived on scene they found a naked woman on a bed covered by a bed sheet. Upon further inspection they found her to have injuries consistent with punches, bruises on her face, and body. She had no vital signs.

When interviewed by police Baroni told them that around 3pm, while smoking marijuana and drinking beer, his girlfriend revealed to him that she had cheated on him with another man. The woman, identified only as Paola, 46, refused to shower when Baroni demanded she do so.

He then allegedly threw her into the shower where she fell and hit her head. Baroni said he helped her back to her feet and to the bed where she asked for a bed sheet because she was cold. She then asked him for cigarettes and beer which he got for her.

When he returned he laid down in bed with her and that’s when he realized she was unconscious. He allegedly attempted to wake her up, but realized she had no vital signs.

Baroni was arrested by the State Tourist Police and is being held by the Municipal Court of Valle De Banderas.

Photos have been released by the outlet Observando En La Bahia of Baroni speaking to police.

Baroni is now under investigation and identification of the victim is pending an autopsy and notification of next of kin.

Baroni spent his career jumping from promotion to promotion. He fought under the UFC, Bellator, and ONE Championship banners before retiring in 2019. The last known record of Baroni competing was a boxing match in Dec 2021 in Mexico.

Baroni recently tweeted that he was living in Mexico.

The post Phil Baroni Arrested In Mexico, Charged With Murder Of Girlfriend appeared first on Cageside Press.

BKFC 11 went down Saturday night, and with the event came a slew of announcements. The main event saw Luis Palomino defeating Isaac Vallie-Flag in the super welterweight tournament final, but the bigger news was the fights that were announced for their fall schedule. And the promotion’s move to DAZN. Since BKFC’s first event in 2018, the promotion has been broadcast on YouTube and FiteTV, however DAZN will now show select BKFC events. According to a graphic shown on the broadcast, the first event shown will be BKFC 12 on August 21, where the main event is expected to be Helen Peralta taking on Christine Ferea.

However, the bigger fights for the promotion are expected to be later in the year, starting with BKFC 13 on September 9. The main event is expected to be a battle of UFC veterans as Thiago Alves takes on another UFC alum, Phil Baroni. Alves is coming off the heels of his exit from the UFC and is making his bare-knuckle debut. Baroni on the other hand is looking to rebound from a loss in his bare-knuckle debut to Chris Leben in 2018. The co-main event of the card is expected to be another battle of former UFC veterans, as Hector Lombard takes on Kendall Grove. Lombard successfully made his bare-knuckle debut earlier this year, while Grove is looking to rebound after a knockout loss at BKFC 3.

The last event announcement was BKFC 14 on October 16, with the main event featuring former boxing champion Shannon Briggs making his promotional debut. Briggs was signed to Bare Knuckle FC earlier this year and is looking to compete for the first time since 2016. Briggs holds a record of 60-6-1 and holds notable wins over the likes of George Foreman, Ray Mercer, and Siarhei Liakhovich. His opponent for the event was not announced.

The post BKFC Announces DAZN Deal, Fall Schedule Including Thiago Alves Debut appeared first on Cageside Press.

Chris Leben, who just turned 38 years old on July 21, has battled addiction and health issues for the better part of his career. A “Crippler” comeback seemed unlikely, despite a burning desire to still compete.

Leben’s fortunes would change, however, when the TUF 1 veteran began talks with the World Bare Knuckle Fighting Federation regarding a potential comeback.

Cageside Press caught up with “The Crippler” just days after signing his contract to compete in the WBKFF. In typical Leben fashion, he would hold no punches when talking about Baroni, recovery, and the will to fight.

“I’m back baby,” Leben emphatically announced to Cageside Press just days after signing his Bare Knuckle fight contract to compete against Baroni.

“Physically I’ve never felt better and now that I have been taking care of my body, it’s opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me,” Leben explained.

The 38-year-old Leben has battled substance abuse issues for the majority of his combat sports career. His difficulties both personally and professionally have been well documented in that regard. By Chris Leben’s account, that is all in the past, providing he stays active in recovery, something that is paramount in his sobriety.

“Clean and sober for three years now,” Leben said. “Don’t get me wrong, its hard work. I put a lot into my recovery because I know without my sobriety, I have nothing at all.”

A “Crippler” comeback seemed unlikely given Leben’s post-fight career success in refereeing and coaching, but his return to the cage has been in developing for some time.

“My comeback was actually in the works for a while,” Leben explained. “I haven’t stopped training. I train every day, and I have more to fight for now than I ever have before.”

Leben is referring to his wife and beautiful baby girl who he credits for his newfound love of life. “It’s amazing,” Leben said when asked about his quality of life nowadays.

“I feel better now than I ever have in my life. It’s all just so insane, just a couple years ago I didn’t even know if I would be alive and now here I am training for my big comeback.”

“The Crippler’s” big comeback will culminate later this year when he meets “The New York Bad-Ass” Phil Baroni in a bare-knuckle boxing match, a fight that will take place at 205 pounds.

“Wait a second,” Leben joked. “You’re telling me that this guy is going to stand right in front of me and I get to punch him in the head with my bare hands! This kind of fight was tailor-made for me.”

Indeed it is Chris Leben. Indeed it is.

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