Home Categories Fights FLD's Sloppy Slugfest of the Week #5: Baroni vs. Minowa 1
FLD's Sloppy Slugfest of the Week #5: Baroni vs. Minowa 1
Written by Brad Taschuk   
Thursday, 07 January 2010 13:10
The Sloppy Slugfest series took a little hiatus during the holidays, but it's back in 2010 with a vengeance.

In addition to being wildly entertaining, the first fight featured in 2010 can also help us shed light on one of MMA's most hotly debated recent topics, the MINOWAMAN!!!-Sokoudjou Super Hulk Final.  That's for later though, first it's time to kick back, relax, and check out the first sloppy slugfest of the new year.
Phil Baroni vs. Ikuhisa Minowa
PRIDE Bushido 7
This video was edited perfectly to depict this fight in it's true form.  It shows the best moments of the first round, where some winging exchanges were had, and surprisingly Phil Baroni keeps things competitive in the grappling department.  Even more surprisingly, the second round begins, and Phil Baroni isn't the more gassed fighter.  In fact, he hardly looks gassed at all -- by Baroni standards, at least -- which spells imminent doom for Ikuhisa "The Punk" Minowa (as this fight was clearly before he was blessed with his superpowers).  Minowa would not go gently into the night though, and cue the slugfest.  Bon appetite!


So now, onto the other topic.  Unless Minowa who was already 9 years and 57 fights into his MMA career at the time of this fight (hardly a point when fighters start showing significant advancement), has indeed flipped the script and made enormous strides in his grappling game since this fight -- where he couldn't even control, let alone submit, Phil Baroni despite significant time spent on the ground -- and his striking game -- where Baroni tagged him at will -- there is nothing in Minowa's game that points to him having an advantage over Sokoudjou, not even cardio, judging from this performance.  The fact that Sokoudjou hardly even attempted a submission despite having MINOWAMAN!!!'s back, and his tentaiveness in the striking game (despite an inferior striker in Baroni having significant success against Minowa) are curious, to say the least.

I suppose it's the superpowers.  That makes sense.