Keyboard warriors are an amazing entity.  You see some fights, sit back, do your armchair analysis, and then decide that you know enough to not only be a professional commentator, but you can beat everyone that steps into a ring or cage, because now you're a fucking fighter.  Guess what?  You're not.  Even if you train on a regular basis, you are not qualified to sit back and hurl insults at fighters that get in there and give it their all.  I doubt any of the faceless idiots that built accounts simply to come on here after a fight and talk shit, have ever been near a pro fight, and certainly not one that was championship caliber. 

For all the nitwits holding a personal grudge about Phil Baroni's forum chat session here, STFU already.  You took his pre fight hype seriously???  You're retardedness knows no bounds.  RED FUCKING ALERT!!!  He's the NYBA.  It's what he does.  He doesn't know any of you.  He did exactly what was needed.  He talked enough shit, to piss people off, and get them to watch the fight.  Guess what?  You all tuned in and watched.  Wanna know something else?  He got in there, and fought his heart out all the way into the 5th round.  He and Kala gave a spectacular performance, and people should be thanking a few factors for that spectacular fight:

1.  Proelite for providing an amazing stream for FREE

2.  Kala Kalohe, for being the well deserved champion, and graceful in victory to boot.

3.  The NYBA for promoting this fight the best way he knows how, pissing people off with some well placed wording.  If any of you bother to check out ANYTHING of his other fights, you would already know this is how he hypes fights.  You would also know that he's respectful immediately after, win or lose.  

If you read this, and decide to leave garbage posts, or attack Phil's character, because you're butt hurt that he replied to you in an off handed way on a forum thread, then you need to get out of your house and learn what humor is.  You may want to ask Kala how they really feel about each other also.  I know for fact that they are cool. 

All this being said, the NYBA deserves some respect for the effort he put into promoting this fight, as well as being one of the few fighters that never quits.  A good friend of mine said it best: "Phil has the heart of a lion." 

Crooklyn, close friend, and devoted fan of the NYBA

After he lost to Sell, Dana told him to retire-  He went to Japan, slept on the floor of Coleman's hotel room-  got his chance, and pulled some amazing upsets-  He wasn't done-

Funny thing about history- It tends to repeat itself-  He lost to a fight that he should have won.  He has to go back to the drawing board and put it back together.  He did it last time-  He'll do it again.

You can teach technique-  You can work conditioning-  You can't teach a fighter, or any man for that matter, to have a heart like Phil Baroni.

-Steve Gavin, professional fighter

Crook... While I agree with 90% of your post... When you talk as much smack as Phil does you should be able to take the backlash when you don't back it up.

I liked Phil when he was knocking fools out but now he's talking smack and then not performing... Some times you just need to shut the fuck up and fight... I would love to root for him again but I until he shows some humility I'm not interested. Losing loudly like he has been doing lately aint gonna get us, the fans to spend our cash to see him  fight again. So if he's happy to spend the last part of his career fighting in the smaller shows he should keep doing what he's doing... If he wants to come back to the UFC or EliteXC maybe he should talk less and win more.

Sorry Crook but just my opinion.

Another friend of mine stated the following.  It is by far, the best way to categorize Phil Baroni: 

In MMA there seems to be a general mentality that if you are not the best of the best then you aint shit. To me that is madness, some guys just aren't meant to be champs why does that devalue them? Fighters get trashed by guys not fit to lace their boots. You can have a great career without being great IMO. Look at guys like Gatti and now Hatton in Boxing, are they the best? No, but they have fans by the bucket load and make lots of cash doing what they love - thats because instead of winning every fight they work with what they have. They are warriors, they came/come to give it their all and entertain the fans and are respected because of it - just like Baroni should be.

-gogoplatamonkey, The Underground 

I never cease to be amazed at how smart you are Steph.... I thought everyone in MMA knew that what is said before a fight by any fighter is usually to get us fans to watch the fights....

Are we all adults who understand the way the world works, or children who need to learn the ways of the world... I really thought most of the fans, fighters, organizations that are represented here on ProElite understood these things?  I guess I was wrong?

But now that Crooklyn has explained it ... we all got it ... Right????

It's called selling a fight.  Why is it so hard to grasp that he is using the same promotional technique that PBF, Ali, and many others have used before him??  What it is, is that people take his shit talking seriously, when they should really just find entertainment value in it.

- quoted from bad--santa on 16 Mar 2008, 01:51:34

Crook... While I agree with 90% of your post... When you talk as much smack as Phil does you should be able to take the backlash when you don't back it up.

I liked Phil when he was knocking fools out but now he's talking smack and then not performing... Some times you just need to shut the fuck up and fight... I would love to root for him again but I until he shows some humility I'm not interested. Losing loudly like he has been doing lately aint gonna get us, the fans to spend our cash to see him  fight again. So if he's happy to spend the last part of his career fighting in the smaller shows he should keep doing what he's doing... If he wants to come back to the UFC or EliteXC maybe he should talk less and win more.

Sorry Crook but just my opinion.

I get it's selling a fight... But he's selling a CRAPPY product lately... He should worry about winning a freaking fight. You can only yell so long before people just stop looking... And for me that time is now.

And please tell me you didn't compare the NYCBA to Ali...lol

- quoted from cRoOkLyN on 16 Mar 2008, 01:53:34
It's called selling a fight.  Why is it so hard to grasp that he is using the same promotional technique that PBF, Ali, and many others have used before him??  What it is, is that people take his shit talking seriously, when they should really just find entertainment value in it.

- quoted from bad--santa on 16 Mar 2008, 01:51:34

Crook... While I agree with 90% of your post... When you talk as much smack as Phil does you should be able to take the backlash when you don't back it up.

I liked Phil when he was knocking fools out but now he's talking smack and then not performing... Some times you just need to shut the fuck up and fight... I would love to root for him again but I until he shows some humility I'm not interested. Losing loudly like he has been doing lately aint gonna get us, the fans to spend our cash to see him  fight again. So if he's happy to spend the last part of his career fighting in the smaller shows he should keep doing what he's doing... If he wants to come back to the UFC or EliteXC maybe he should talk less and win more.

Sorry Crook but just my opinion.

That was Phil being Phil, he wants to be the bad guy/heel. If you did watch the FREEEEEEEE fight here online, then you would of heard the commentators say that he likes being the heel. Phil in ever fight has brought everything to the ring and has left it there. Unless you met Phil, you really don't know the kind of person he really is. It's always easy to watch a fight and talk about it after. For me, it was tough to watch, cause I know what kind of fight he is. He most of all knows what he needs to do to get back on track. Don't forget, he was on the sidelines for awhile. Maybe this fight is the fight that gets the ball rolling for Phil. Win or lose, Phil did it again. Being the true NYBA that he is, talking the talk and leaving everything in the ring. I still like Phil, and I wish him the best, and look forward in shutting people up again like he did before !

And please tell me where the hell YOU find that you are in ANY position to criticize Phil Baroni.  You are the very epitome of the keyboard warrior I was speaking of in my original post.  I'm sure you would have done SOOOOOOOOOO much better against Shamrock and Hose......LOFL!!

- quoted from bad--santa on 16 Mar 2008, 02:02:03

I get it's selling a fight... But he's selling a CRAPPY product lately... He should worry about winning a freaking fight. You can only yell so long before people just stop looking... And for me that time is now.

And please tell me you didn't compare the NYCBA to Ali...lol

- quoted from cRoOkLyN on 16 Mar 2008, 01:53:34
It's called selling a fight.  Why is it so hard to grasp that he is using the same promotional technique that PBF, Ali, and many others have used before him??  What it is, is that people take his shit talking seriously, when they should really just find entertainment value in it.

- quoted from bad--santa on 16 Mar 2008, 01:51:34

Crook... While I agree with 90% of your post... When you talk as much smack as Phil does you should be able to take the backlash when you don't back it up.

I liked Phil when he was knocking fools out but now he's talking smack and then not performing... Some times you just need to shut the fuck up and fight... I would love to root for him again but I until he shows some humility I'm not interested. Losing loudly like he has been doing lately aint gonna get us, the fans to spend our cash to see him  fight again. So if he's happy to spend the last part of his career fighting in the smaller shows he should keep doing what he's doing... If he wants to come back to the UFC or EliteXC maybe he should talk less and win more.

Sorry Crook but just my opinion.

Awsome !!!!! Thanks Crookie for posting that !!! And thanks Monkey for writing it !!!!

- quoted from cRoOkLyN on 16 Mar 2008, 02:01:49

Another friend of mine stated the following.  It is by far, the best way to categorize Phil Baroni: 

In MMA there seems to be a general mentality that if you are not the best of the best then you aint shit. To me that is madness, some guys just aren't meant to be champs why does that devalue them? Fighters get trashed by guys not fit to lace their boots. You can have a great career without being great IMO. Look at guys like Gatti and now Hatton in Boxing, are they the best? No, but they have fans by the bucket load and make lots of cash doing what they love - thats because instead of winning every fight they work with what they have. They are warriors, they came/come to give it their all and entertain the fans and are respected because of it - just like Baroni should be.

              -gogoplatamonkey, The Underground