Iwo Baraniewski and Alonzo Menifield Clash in Tight Light Heavyweight Fight at UFC 331
At UFC 331 in Los Angeles, undefeated Polish fighter Iwo Baraniewski faced veteran American Alonzo Menifield in a light heavyweight bout that was scored dead even after two rounds.
Background
UFC 331 took place on Saturday, September 19, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, streamed live on Paramount+, according to Covers.com. The 12-fight card drew wide attention to a light heavyweight (205-pound) bout between Iwo Baraniewski and Alonzo Menifield, as reported by MMA Fighting.
The fighters
Baraniewski (9-0), a 27-year-old Pole, entered the bout undefeated and considered one of the fastest-rising names in the light heavyweight division. None of his three UFC victories has lasted longer than 90 seconds — he debuted with a win over Ibo Aslan, followed it with a 28-second knockout of Austen Lane, and later scored another quick finish against Junior Tafa, per MMA Fighting. Ahead of the fight, Covers.com tipped him as the favorite to win by knockout, noting seven of his nine professional wins have come via KO.
Menifield (18-7-1), a 38-year-old American, has fought in the UFC for nearly eight years and entered as the underdog, priced at +240 against Baraniewski's -295 on FanDuel, according to MMA Fighting. Still, he has a history of upsetting matchmakers' plans: in May he pulled off a striking upset over China's Zhang Mingyang, and he was previously the first fighter to beat French prospect Oumar Sy. He had won three of his last four fights entering Saturday.
How the fight unfolded
According to MMA Fighting's live coverage, Baraniewski took round one 10-9, rocking Menifield multiple times with power shots and coming close to a finish. Momentum shifted in round two, with Menifield coming out aggressively and controlling much of the action to also take the round 10-9, evening the overall score at 19-19. Before round three, a doctor checked Menifield's hand, which appeared on broadcast to have a possibly injured thumb; the fight continued, but the available sources do not report a final result.
Additional context
The UFC 331 card also featured other notable bouts, including Olympic wrestling champion Gable Steveson against Sean Sharaf, Brazilian prospect Ryan Gandra against Ozzy Diaz, and a women's flyweight bout between Casey O'Neill and Eduarda Moura, according to Covers.com.
