“Phil Baroni has verbally agreed to a contract with the UFC, according to a source close to the fighter. The veteran welterweight’s potential signing will undoubtedly raise a few eyebrows as well as shed some light on the brewing feud between the UFC and rival promotion Strikeforce.”

source: sherdog

Baroni (13-11), was recently released from his Strikeforce contract a few days ago. Strikeforce’s CEO Scott Coker made this announcement in a press release :

“We wish Phil the best of luck and hope he can revive his career, if he can, maybe one day, he can return and fight for us.”

Phil, who lately lost to Joe Rigs on Strikeforce’s – Lawler vs. Shields card in June, has had a somewhat patchy career. With UFC’s recent releases of Tandem McCory and Thales Leites, it seems quite odd to me that the UFC would be targeting someone of Barnoi’s calibre. Stay tuned to our rumors section as more of this story unfolds.