The Filipino fighters weren’t the only ones dragged into the limelight once ONE FC 9: Rise to Power had concluded this past Friday night.
Former UFC veterans Phil Baroni and Tim Sylvia suffered TKO losses, prompting the need for both these fighters to ponder retirement. While the latter fighter showcased a fairly lackluster performance against AKA’s Tony Johnson Jr., Baroni broke an ankle in what was an exciting affair with Nobutatsu Suzuki.
Although Sylvia is a former 2x UFC Heavyweight champion, the 37-year-old has come under heavy scrutiny for his performances of late. The Team Extreme native is winless in his last 3 outings, which includes a No Contest in his promotional ONE FC debut with Andrei Arlovski, a defeat at the hands of Satoshi Ishii and of course, the latest TKO loss to the aforementioned Tony Johnson. Sylvia was taken down fairly easily by Johnson, out-grappled and at times, looked clueless. This beckons the question if ONE FC will slate Sylvia into one of its fight cards in the future or force the 37-year-old to fight elsewhere.
Many would have anticipated a change for the ‘New York Badass’ Phil Baroni following his switch to AKA in San Jose, California, however, just like Sylvia, the future looks bleak for the 37-year-old slugger. There is no doubt that Baroni brings it every time he fights, ensuring that fans leave the arena(s) with their moneys well spent, but, with 7 losses in his last 10 professional bouts, it may be time for Baroni to walk away from the fight game. Moreover, with a snapped ankle, the ‘New York Badass’ may be out of action for up to 6 months.
You can check out the rest of the results for ONE FC 9: Rise to Power, here.
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