Iwo Baraniewski

Iwo Baraniewski (born November 20, 1998) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist and former judoka. He currently competes in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background Baraniewski initially competed in judo. He started training at Nastula Club, before later switching to Aligatores Fight Club, which to this day is his gym. He competed in multiple International Judo Federation (IJF) tournaments, but did not place in the top 3.

Baraniewski's first podium place came at the 2018 World Judo Juniors Championships where he won the bronze medal after defeating Mathias Madsen. His next two medals were in submission wrestling, where he obtained a bronze and gold medal at the ADCC Polish Nationals in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Also in 2020, Baraniewski won the gold medal at the Polish Youth Judo Championships in Józefów after beating Eryk Ryciak in the final.

Transitioning to mixed martial arts, Baraniewski competed in the GAMMA European Championships in Kyiv in 2021, where he won the silver medal after losing to Stanislav Khmilkovsky in the finals. In 2022, Baraniewski competed in both the GAMMA European Championships and World Championships, where he won a gold medal in both after beating Arturs Skabarnieks and Giorgi Chochishvili respectively. In 2024, Baraniewski won another GAMMA European Championships gold medal after beating Cristian Constantinov in the finals.

Mixed martial arts career

Babilon MMA On September 30, 2023, under Babilon MMA, at Babilon MMA 39, Baraniewski won his professional MMA debut via armbar against Kamil Bartosiński in the first round. His last fight with the promotion came on March 14, 2025, when he faced Kamil Stachura. Baraniewski won the fight via first-round technical knockout, improving his record to 5–0.

Dana White's Contender Series Baraniewski faced Mahamed Aly on the ninth season of Dana White's Contender Series on September 16, 2025, winning via knockout in the first 20 seconds and securing a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Ultimate Fighting Championship Baraniewski made his UFC debut against İbo Aslan on December 6, 2025, at UFC 323. He won the fight via first-round knockout. This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.

Baraniewski faced Austen Lane on March 21, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 270. He won the fight via knockout early into the first round. This fight earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night award.

Baraniewski was scheduled to face Billy Elekana on June 6, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 278. However, Elekana withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Junior Tafa. Baraniewski won the fight via technical knockout early into the first round. This fight earned him another $100,000 Performance of the Night award.

Baraniewski is scheduled to face Alonzo Menifield on September 19, 2026 at UFC 331.

Championships and accomplishments Mixed martial arts Professional Ultimate Fighting Championship Performance of the Night (Three times) MMA Fighting 2025 Round of the Year 2025 Third Team MMA All-Star theScore 2025 Round of the Year

Amateur 2021: GAMMA European Championships - 2nd place in 120 kg category (Kyiv) 2022: GAMMA European Championships - 1st place in 120 kg category (Tbilisi) 2022: GAMMA World Championships - 1st place in 120 kg category (Amsterdam) 2024: GAMMA European Championships - 1st place in 120 kg category (Vysoké Tatry)

Judo 2018: World Judo Juniors Championships — 3rd place in 100 kg category (Nassau) 2020: Polish Youth Judo Championships — 1st place in 100 kg category (Józefów)

Grappling 2019 ADCC Polish Nationals - 3rd place in 100 kg category (Warsaw) 2020 ADCC Polish Nationals - 1st place in 100 kg category (Warsaw)

Mixed martial arts record Win

Junior Tafa TKO (leg kick and punches) UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs. Bonfim

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Austen Lane TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy

London, England Win

İbo Aslan KO (punches) UFC 323

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Mahamed Aly KO (punches) Dana White's Contender Series 82

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Kamil Stachura TKO (elbows and punches) Babilon MMA 51

Ciechanów, Poland Win

Sylwester Borys TKO (punches) Babilon MMA 49

Radom, Poland Win

Cemey dos Santos TKO (punches) Babilon MMA 47

Wieliczka, Poland Win

Miroslav Uchytil Submission (armbar) Babilon MMA 42

Żyrardów, Poland Win

Kamil Bartosiński Submission (armbar) Babilon MMA 39

Radom, Poland