A former UFC fighter faces Mexican murder charges in connection with the death of his girlfriend.

The Nayarit Attorney General’s Office announced the arrest of Phillip Baroni on the charge of aggravated femicide last week. Baroni, 46, is a retired mixed martial arts fighter who was at one time of the most popular in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Baroni’s arrest comes after Mexican authorities found the body of his girlfriend in a hotel in San Francisco Nayarit, Proceso reported. The incident reportedly took place on New Year’s Day before Baroni flagged down police officers claiming his girlfriend was unresponsive. Authorities found the woman nude, covered by a blanket, with her face and body showing bruises.

According to Baroni’s statements to police as reported by Proceso, alcohol was consumed in the room as the couple argued about alleged infidelities by the victim. Baroni told police he tried to take a shower with her and when she refused, he pushed her inside the shower — knocking her down and hitting her head on the floor.

According to the statement, Baroni then helped the woman to the bed, removed her wet clothing, and covered her with a blanket. The former fighter then left to get beer and cigarettes. When he returned, she was unresponsive.
Baroni started fighting in 2000, joining the UFC in 2001 for his second professional bout when he was 24. He retired in 2019 with an overall record of 16 wins and 19 losses.

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and senior Breitbart management. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook. He can be contacted at Iortiz@breitbart.com. 

Brandon Darby is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Breitbart Texas. He co-founded Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project with Ildefonso Ortiz and senior Breitbart management. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. He can be contacted at bdarby@breitbart.com.     

“C.P. Mireles” from Breitbart Texas’ Cartel Chronicles project contributed to this report.