From Mike Afromowitz and Strikeforce.com:

Strikeforce Releases Phil Baroni

SAN JOSE, Calif. (Aug. 13, 2009) - Phil "The New York Badass" Baroni has been released by world championship mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion STRIKEFORCE.

The 33-year-old Baroni, a native of Long Island, N.Y, has lost four of his last seven bouts.  In his last appearance, a welterweight (170 pounds) matchup with Joe "Diesel'' Riggs at St. Louis, Missouri's Scottrade Center, Baroni sustained a one-sided defeat by way of unanimous judges' decision.

"We wish Phil the best of luck and hope he can revive his career,'' STRIKEFORCE Founder and CEO Scott Coker said Thursday. "If he can, maybe one day, he can return and fight for us."

Baroni's most noteworthy fight in STRIKEFORCE was also the first STRIKEFORCE middleweight (185 pounds) MMA championship bout in history on June 22, 2007.  Refusing to tap out, Baroni was choked unconscious by four-time world champion Frank Shamrock in the second round (4:00) of action.

About STRIKEFORCE

STRIKEFORCE is a world-class mixed martial arts cage fight promotion which, on Friday, March 10, 2006, made history with its "Shamrock vs. Gracie" event, the first sanctioned mixed martial arts fight card in California state history.  The star-studded extravaganza, which pitted legendary champion Frank Shamrock against Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Cesar Gracie at San Jose's HP Pavilion, played host to a sold-out, record crowd of 18,265.  Since 1995,

STRIKEFORCE has been the exclusive provider of martial arts programming for ESPN and, after 12 years of success as a leading, world championship kickboxing promotion, the company unveiled its mixed martial arts series with "Shamrock vs. Gracie."  In May 2008, West Coast Productions, the parent company of STRIKEFORCE, partnered with Silicon Valley Sports & Entertainment (SVS&E), an entity created in 2000 to oversee all business operation aspects of the San Jose Sharks and HP Pavilion at San Jose.