Things started off well for UFC, PRIDE and Strikeforce veteran Phil Baroni at One FC 9 on Friday, but they could not have ended much worse for the New York Bad Ass as he was knocked out and appeared to suffer a broken ankle at the end of the first round in his bout with Nobutatsu Suzuki.
The end came officially at 4:17 of the first frame.
Baroni began the round with some success. He scored with several powerful striking combinations over his Japanese opponent and was even able to mix in successful takedowns. As the round wore on, however, Suzuki was able to find his way back to his feet. More importantly, he began to either slip or wade through Baroni’s strikes. Eventually Suzuki backed Baroni up as he scored with a right hand. The AKA product began to cover up as his back touched the fence while Suzuki opened up with a series of kicks and knees to the body.
However, a final knee to the chin and right hand combination would connect with Baroni, sending the American slumping to the mat. As he landed, Baroni appears to have badly twisted his ankle, either dislocating or breaking it in the process. Once the gruesome injury was apparent and Baroni could no longer defend himself, the action was quickly halted.
The loss drops Baroni’s professional MMA record to 15-17 while Suzuki rises to 10-1.
One FC 9 took place at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City, Philippines.