According to reports, former UFC star Phil Baroni has been arrested in Mexico on suspicion of killing his girlfriend.
According to the Mexican news site Tribuna De La Bahia, Baroni got into an altercation with his girlfriend inside a hotel in San Pancho. He was allegedly under the influence at the time.
According to the report, Baroni contacted cops outside on Sunday and reported that his girlfriend was not responding. The cops discovered a dead woman inside the couple’s hotel room.
According to the article, Baroni reportedly “beat his girlfriend, a Mexico City native, to death in San Pancho, Nayarit, México. He alleges he threw her inside the shower with force after she told him she had cheated where she hit her head and passed away minutes later.”
Police said they discovered a naked body on a bed covered by a bedsheet, with “‘multiple marks of beatings” on her body and no vital signs. A thorough investigation into the event is being conducted after Baroni was arrested for homicide.
Photos of what seems to be Baroni conversing with police after the incident have also surfaced on social media.
UFC veterans Michael Bisping and Josh Barnett reacted to the news.
Baroni competed in the UFC from 2001 to 2005 before joining Japan’s PRIDE FC. He subsequently alternated between a number of other MMA organizations before a second stint in the UFC.
In September 2019, Baroni competed in his last MMA match. He lost to Chinese native Sai Wang by first-round submission.
Baroni also competed off and on in grappling.
Recent social media posts by Baroni revealed that he had relocated to Mexico.