Brad Tavares Steps in Against Aaron Simpson at UFC 132; ‘Mayhem’ vs. Bisping Now Slated for TUF 14 Finale

Phil Baroni Brad Tavares UFC 125
(If you hear something late at night / Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight / Just don’t ask me what it was…” Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly)

With Jason Miller being drafted for a high-profile gig coaching The Ultimate Fighter, Mayhem’s original UFC return opponent Aaron Simpson was left without a dance partner. However, the UFC confirmed last night that Simpson will remain on the UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2 card (July 2, Las Vegas) against undefeated TUF 11 semi-finalist Brad Tavares.

Kind of a downgrade for Simpson in terms of name value, but Tavares (7-0) is one of the best prospects in the middleweight division, and is coming off a first-round knockout of Phil Baroni in January. During his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, he won three consecutive fights before being choked out by Court McGee in the semis, then outpointed Seth Baczynski at the Finale show.

Phil Baroni Brad Tavares UFC 125
(If you hear something late at night / Some kind of trouble, some kind of fight / Just don’t ask me what it was…” Photo courtesy of MMAWeekly)

With Jason Miller being drafted for a high-profile gig coaching The Ultimate Fighter, Mayhem’s original UFC return opponent Aaron Simpson was left without a dance partner. However, the UFC confirmed last night that Simpson will remain on the UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2 card (July 2, Las Vegas) against undefeated TUF 11 semi-finalist Brad Tavares.

Kind of a downgrade for Simpson in terms of name value, but Tavares (7-0) is one of the best prospects in the middleweight division, and is coming off a first-round knockout of Phil Baroni in January. During his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, he won three consecutive fights before being choked out by Court McGee in the semis, then outpointed Seth Baczynski at the Finale show.

As for Jason Miller, he and Michael Bisping will reportedly meet at the TUF 14 Finale on December 3rd — a shift from the usual tradition of rival TUF coaches fighting (or not fighting) at a subsequent pay-per-view card. Not a bad way to boost their Spike ratings, considering Mayhem’s basic-cable cred. No other bouts have been booked for the event.

Brad Tavares Says ‘It Was an Honor’ to Fight Phil Baroni After Win

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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Brad Tavares following his UFC 125 win over Phil Baroni about how he recovered from an early onslaught from Baroni, how he finished him, what it means to beat a veteran like Baroni and more.

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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Brad Tavares following his UFC 125 win over Phil Baroni about how he recovered from an early onslaught from Baroni, how he finished him, what it means to beat a veteran like Baroni and more.

Emotional Phil Baroni Expects UFC Release, Refuses to Call it Quits

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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Phil Baroni following his loss to Brad Tavares after UFC 125. An emotional “New York Bad Ass” looked back on what went wrong inside the Octagon and why he refuses to retire at this point in his career.

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LAS VEGAS — MMA Fighting spoke to Phil Baroni following his loss to Brad Tavares after UFC 125. An emotional “New York Bad Ass” looked back on what went wrong inside the Octagon and why he refuses to retire at this point in his career.

UFC 125 Prelims to Air on ION Network Television

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC this weekend will make its live network television debut and it’s on a channel you wouldn’t have expected. The UFC announced Monday that the UFC 125 Prelims this Saturday will be televised on ION television at 8:55 p.m. ET…

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The UFC this weekend will make its live network television debut and it’s on a channel you wouldn’t have expected. The UFC announced Monday that the UFC 125 Prelims this Saturday will be televised on ION television at 8:55 p.m. ET.

“I am excited for our fans because I’ve been looking for ways to broadcast UFC prelims free and to as many homes as possible,” UFC President Dana White stated. “ION is the largest broadcast television station group in the U.S. and this deal will put the UFC prelims in almost 100 million homes.”

Phil Baroni: ‘It’s Obvious That a Lot of People Are Counting Me Out’

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveAfter 10 years in this sport, no one has to tell Phil Baroni what’s at stake on New Year’s Day.

When you’re a 34-year-old fighter on a two-fight losing streak who just happens to be facing a 23-year-old kid fresh of…

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After 10 years in this sport, no one has to tell Phil Baroni what’s at stake on New Year’s Day.

When you’re a 34-year-old fighter on a two-fight losing streak who just happens to be facing a 23-year-old kid fresh off season 11 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” it’s pretty self-evident.

“It’s obvious that a lot of people are counting me out, the UFC included,” Baroni (13-12), who faces Brad Tavares (6-0) at UFC 125 on Saturday, told MMA Fighting. “You know, they’re giving me guys off ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’ they never send me to expos, stuff like that. But I’m thankful for the opportunity to get that all back, and I’m going to start on New Year’s Day and resurrect my career. I’ve done it before; I’ll do it again.”

If he doesn’t, if he loses to Tavares on the UFC 125 prelims, well, Baroni doesn’t really want to think too much about what will happen then.

Bum Rush Nugget: Phil Baroni Represents ‘Real Fighters,’ Calls Out Minowaman for One More Battle

(Forget money and fame – Phil was fighting back when the prize was a weird trophy and a semi-attractive Japanese chick. / Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)
When we learned that the match between UFC veteran Phil Baroni and 23-year-old pr…

Phil Baroni PRIDE MMA ring girl Japan
(Forget money and fame – Phil was fighting back when the prize was a weird trophy and a semi-attractive Japanese chick. / Photo courtesy of Sherdog.)

When we learned that the match between UFC veteran Phil Baroni and 23-year-old prospect Brad Tavares would indeed be aired before the UFC 125 pay-per-view broadcast this Saturday, it reminded me of our last chat with the New York Bad Ass on episode 11.1 of the Bum Rush Radio Show. Baroni has reached that point in his career where youngsters are trying to make their names off of him, and he has to beat them if he wants his own name to retain its value. I asked Phil if he felt like the last in a bygone generation of fighters, considering that so many of his rivals are no longer competing. And I thought his response was worth sharing again…

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