By Victor Kanayo
Former mixed martial arts fighter Phil Baroni has been arrested in Mexico for allegedly killing his girlfriend, the prosecutors’ office in the Pacific coast state of Nayarit has said.
Baroni and his girlfriend, a Mexico City native, argued in a hotel after she revealed that she had cheated on him.
According to Baroni, he demanded she bathes, and when she refused, he threw her into the shower, where she struck her head twice.
Baroni acknowledged that he placed her on the bed, where she requested beer and cigarettes.
Police later found her naked on a bed inside the hotel room, according to Mexican news outlet Tribuna De La Bahia.
The pro fighter reportedly told cops that the couple had gotten into a heated dispute inside a hotel room in San Pancho after his girlfriend, identified only as Poala, admitted she cheated on him, the reports said.
The 46-year-old New York native, who cops believe was under the influence of marijuana and alcohol, told authorities that he then ordered Poala to go bathe, and when she refused to do so he threw her into the shower, the report said.
A full investigation into the incident began following Baroni’s arrest for homicide.
He is being held in custody in Valle de Banderas.
Baroni made his name in MMA as a brash New Yorker with heavy hands.
He made his UFC debut in 2001, defeating Curtis Stout in just the second fight of Baroni’s career.
In the Octagon, he fought multiple men who would either hold or challenge for the UFC middleweight title.
