It's been a long road back to the UFC for Phil Baroni. The former light heavyweight is now down at welterweight. He served time for a steroid suspension back in 2007 and fought in organizations like EliteXC, Icon Sport, Cage Rage and Palace Fighting Championship. So when Baroni got an offer to return to the big leagues after five years away, he wasn't about quibble over his opponent. Fellow gym member Amir Sadollah from Xtreme Couture was offered up and Baroni jumped at the chance.

"You take what you can get. We're professionals. Fight first, friends later. I'll fight anybody, it doesn't matter. Anyone who can move my career in the right direction."

With Sadollah at Xtreme Couture, Baroni chose to leave his home base of Las Vegas and train in San Jose at American Kickboxing Academy. Baroni will be involved in same odd twist if Randy Couture fights Mark Coleman February. Coleman and Baroni are longtime buddies. Baroni said he got more sparring in at AKA and really needed to get back his attack dog mentality.

"I haven't been that way in my last couple fights but I'm going back to my old ways. I'm gonna blast him out of there. I'm going straight ahead. Bulls go forward, I'm coming with my horns."

He lost badly to Joe Riggs his last time in June at a Strikeforce event out so it was surprising Baroni was brought back to the UFC where he was 3-5 from 2001-2005. He does fight for knockouts and Sadollah is a pretty solid striker. It should make for a stand-up war. Sadollah, the winner of season eight of "The Ultimate Fighter," has a lot on the line against Baroni. He was stopped quickly at UFC 101 by Johny Hendricks and can't afford another loss.