Former UFC fighter Phil Baroni had been charged with allegedly beating his girlfriend to death in Mexico on Sunday (January 1).
Mexican publication Tribuna De La Bahia reports that the woman, only identified as Poala, had admitted to sleeping with another man.
The couple had engaged in an argument at a hotel in San Pancho when the alleged incident occurred.
Baroni allegedly threw the woman into a shower causing her to suffer a fatal head injury and ultimately killed her.
The publication says that officers later found her naked on a bed inside the hotel room.
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The 46-year-old told authorities that he had ordered Poala to go bathe after finding out she had cheated on him, and when she refused her had thrown her into the shower.
She hit her head on the impact before slipping and hitting her head again.
The former MMA fighter says he placed her on the bed and covered her with a sheet after she claimed she was feeling cold.
Baroni says Poala asked him to get her cigars and beer and when he returned she was unresponsive.
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The New York native then ran to find police who later found the woman on the bed showing ‘multiple signs of beatings’ and ‘no vital signs’.
A full investigation into the incident had been made following Baroni’s arrest.
He is currently being held in custody in Valle de Banderas.
Baroni competed in the UFC from 2001 to 2005 and returned for fights in 2009 and 2011.
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He competed in multiple MMA promotions throughout his career including Bellator, PRIDE, and Strikeforce.
His last fight was in 2019, where he suffered a submission loss to Sai Wang and finished his career with a record of 16-19.
Multiple MMA personalities commented on the tragic news.
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Michael Bisping tweeted: “I’m really hoping this is a sick joke. Phil Baroni arrested for murdering his girlfriend???”
Josh Barnett wrote: “The news about Phil Baroni is terrible and incredibly tragic as well.
“I've known Phil for 2 decades + and at the 1st JB Bloodsport show could see that his personality and behaviour was erratic, displaced, and emotionally he was all over the place and it was obvious why: CTE.”
SPORTbible reached out to the US State Department for comment.
Jayden Collins