Phil Baroni has received recent offers to resume his fighting career from promotions such as EliteXC and WEC, he reveals in a new interview with PunchDrunkGamer.com:

I received an offer from Showtime’s Elite XC. And I received one from the WEC – which to me is different then the UFC, it’s a step down. I don’t see guys moving up to the UFC; I think there will always be WEC fighters. I don’t want to do that. I have a lot more fights in me then that. But I’ve received offers from Showtime and a new show in Japan that just opened up. I’m trying to figure out what I am doing next, but first I need to get in shape before I can do anything.

Baroni recently became eligible to fight after a one-year suspension levied by the California State Athletic Commission for testing positive for steroids following a June 22 fight vs. Frank Shamrock was reduced to six months.

Baroni would seem like ideal fits for both EliteXC and the WEC. Despite an unimpressive 10-8 record, his charismatic personality has allowed him to become a highly marketable fighter in mixed martial arts.

The Zuffa-owned WEC has been looking for name middleweight fighters for the past several months following the departures of Joe Riggs and Jason "Mayhem" Miller. The promotion had been negotiating with Frank Trigg at one point and was believed to have had an interest in Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza. 

The WEC, which is looking to hold shows outside of Las Vegas in 2008, would be able to promote a potential fight between Baroni and the promotion's current middleweight champion, Paulo Filho that could attract a lot of interest.

With EliteXC, Baroni would seem like a natural fit to challenge the promotion's current middleweight champion, Robbie Lawler, in a bout featuring two of the heaviest hitters competing at 185 pounds.

A potential Lawler vs. Baroni matchup could easily headline a Showtime card or even possibly serve as an undercard match on a potential PPV.

A a point of pure conjecture on my part (i.e. no inside information, just fantasy matchmaking), I think EliteXC possibly could draw the biggest non-UFC PPV buyrate ever in MMA if they promoted a card featuring Frank Shamrock vs. Ken Shamrock, Kimbo Slice vs. Sean Gannon, Lawler vs. Baroni, Takanori Gomi vs. Nick Diaz II, and Gina Carano vs. Tara LaRosa.

It's believed that Baroni already has an existing contract in place with Strikeforce. However, the contract is non-exclusive and Baroni has been very vocal about his desire not to fight in California anytime soon. Strikeforce is based in San Jose, Calif. 

Baroni also indicates that he could resume fighting as early as March:

I just got back in the gym and running a bit, doing some roadwork to get the weight off me. I plan on fighting again in March. I’ll be 100% in April or May, but I’ll be ready in March. I’d like a couple of back to back fights in March, April, May, or June – get in there and get a couple fights in.

During the interview, Baroni talks at length about the recent appeal hearing before CSAC in regard to his suspension for a positive steroid tests. He makes this interesting revelation at one point:

I never received paper work from the lab or the commission saying I failed. I never saw the test; I just received a phone call. I want to see the “dirty” test because the same sample I retested came back negative. How did they hear that I failed, over the phone? They called up a guy and said “this is who failed and this is what they failed for,” and scratch it down on some note paper? It’s ridiculous and I’m sick of talking about it. I want to move on, and it’s been hard to move on at this point.

Just click here to read the interview in its entirety.

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Sam Caplan

Lead Writer/Editor - ProElite.com

SamCaplan.ProElite.com