Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski: UFC 331 AI Prediction, Results and Highlights
Results and highlights will be added after the fight. The original prediction below will remain unchanged.
Iwo Baraniewski has been a professional mixed martial artist for three years.
He has still never needed a second round.
The unbeaten Polish light heavyweight enters UFC 331 at 9-0 with nine first-round finishes, including seven knockouts and two submissions.
Now he faces the first ranked opponent of his career.
No. 14 Alonzo Menifield enters at 18-6-1 with 11 knockout victories, three submissions and 11 first-round finishes of his own.
The matchup takes place Saturday on the UFC 331 main card at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Menifield Just Scored a Major Bounce-Back Win
Menifield entered 2026 needing to reestablish himself after a first-round knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir.
He did exactly that.
Menifield stopped Zhang Mingyang in the first round on May 30, preserving his place in the light heavyweight rankings. UFC now lists him at No. 14.
His UFCStats profile lists a 53% significant-strike accuracy rate, 3.77 significant strikes landed per minute and 78% takedown defense.
Menifield’s biggest advantage is experience.
He has fought established UFC light heavyweights including Oezdemir, Carlos Ulberg, Dustin Jacoby, Jimmy Crute and Azamat Murzakanov.
Baraniewski has never faced anyone with that résumé.
Baraniewski Has Finished Everyone
The prospect’s numbers are absurdly clean.
Baraniewski is 9-0.
All nine wins are finishes.
All nine occurred in Round 1.
He has also won 19 consecutive fights when his amateur career is included. UFC lists his total professional fight time at just 18 minutes.
His Contender Series appearance lasted 20 seconds.
He then knocked out Ibo Aslan in 1:29 in his UFC debut and stopped Junior Tafa in 1:25 in June.
That’s the upside.
The question is what happens when someone survives.
AI Prediction
The Athlon Sports MMA Team model evaluates seven categories and does not include betting odds.
Category | Alonzo Menifield | Iwo Baraniewski |
|---|---|---|
Style — 25% | 86 | 94 |
Recent Form — 20% | 88 | 99 |
Resume — 15% | 94 | 78 |
Damage — 15% | 88 | 96 |
Weight — 10% | 92 | 91 |
Cardio — 10% | 87 | 84 |
Intangibles — 5% | 92 | 87 |
Weighted Score | 88.9 | 91.2 |
Prediction | |
|---|---|
Pick | Iwo Baraniewski |
Projected result | TKO, Round 1 |
Winner confidence | 60% |
Method confidence | 66% |
Most likely alternative | Menifield by decision |
Deciding factor | Baraniewski’s ability to create finishing sequences before Menifield can settle into the fight. |
This is a much tighter prediction than Baraniewski’s record might suggest.
Menifield takes the Resume, Cardio and Intangibles categories because the veteran has repeatedly fought proven UFC competition and has experience surviving difficult fights.
Baraniewski’s edge comes from the other side of the equation.
His explosiveness, finishing consistency and recent momentum are difficult to ignore.
The 27-year-old also has two submission victories, meaning Menifield cannot simply treat this as a one-dimensional kickboxing match.
Menifield has been knocked out in several UFC losses, including first-round stoppages against Ulberg and Oezdemir. Baraniewski has built his entire professional career around capitalizing on those early openings.
If Menifield survives the first five minutes, the entire complexion of the fight changes.
Baraniewski has almost no professional evidence beyond Round 1, while Menifield has multiple three-round UFC victories.
That is the clearest route to the upset.
The model still narrowly favors the unbeaten prospect, but this is also the matchup most likely to reveal whether Baraniewski’s 9-0 run represents a future contender or simply an explosive fighter who hasn’t yet been forced into unfamiliar territory.
Athlon’s UFC 331 Joshua Van-Alexandre Pantoja prediction and Arman Tsarukyan-Mauricio Ruffy breakdown cover the card’s top two fights.
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This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 18, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.