(Photo and weigh-in results courtesy of BJinMMA.com, check out more weigh-in photos at the link)
“The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni (13-13) set the tone for his next fight by walking into the Titan Fighting Championship 17 weigh-ins thirty minutes late. This will be his first fight since being released from the UFC, and in a recent interview with BloodyElbow.com, Baroni noted that it was “now or never” for him.
Baroni is set to meet Nick Nolte (3-2) on the live broadcast portion of the Titan FC debut card on HDNet. “The New York Bad Ass” is feeling the pressure of trying to succeed at the age of 34, against younger opponents and is looking to put together one last run to become a contender once again.
“Time is of the essence. It’s now or never. I have to stay in shape, be ready and fight as often as possible. I love doing this and there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. I see the writing on the wall. It’s really now or never. I want to keep doing this and I want to be successful at it. I always said it’s better to burn out than fade away, so I don’t want to just fade away. I want to burn out, I want to get another run with a bunch of fights and be a contender again…”
“I feel great right now. I see Dan Henderson looking the best he’s ever looked at 40 and it inspires me. I want to keep going. There’s nothing I’d rather do. I love to train and I love to fight. I love to perform and I love everything that goes along with the sport. I want to do it as long as I can. I’m hoping I can do it as long as Dan Henderson and that’s six years from now and that’s a long time.”
Titan FC 17 takes place at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas and airs on HDNet live beginning at 10PM EST (7PM PST). Also featured on the card is former WWE star Bobby Lashley, who meets Bellator vet John Ott, and former “TUF 10″ alumni Abe Wagner.
Titan Fighting Championship 17 weigh-in results
Heavyweight bout: Bobby Lashley (252) vs. John Ott (215)
Heavyweight bout: Abe Wagner (265) vs. Aaron Rosa (235)
Welterweight bout: Travis Sveum (170) vs. Jonas De Almedia (170)
Anthony Gutierrez (140) vs. Jon Hollis (139)
Lightweight bout: Nathan Schut (155) vs. James Krause (155)
Lightweight bout: Aaron Derrow (154) vs. Alonzo Martinez (156)
Catchweight (150 lbs) bout: Eric Marriott (150) vs. Willian DeSousa (152)
Middleweight bout: Nick Nolte (184) vs. Phil Baroni (183)