Iwo Baraniewski
Other namesRudy
Birth dateNovember 20, 1998 (age 27)
Birth placeWarsaw, Poland
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight lb211
Weight class
Reach73 in
StyleJudo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofWarsaw, Poland
TeamAligatores Fight Club
RankBlack Belt in Judo
Brown Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Years active2023–present
Mma kowin6
Mma subwin2
Sherdog381634
Iwo Baraniewski
CountryPoland
Weight class100 kg
Worlds rankR64
Worlds year2019
Worlds weightMen's 100 kg
Regionals rankR32
Regionals year2019
Regionals weightMen's 100 kg

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.[1] He competed in multiple International Judo Federation (IJF) tournaments, but did not place in the top 3.[2]

Baraniewski's first podium place came at the 2018 World Judo Juniors Championships where he won the bronze medal after defeating Mathias Madsen.[3] 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.[4][5] Also in 2020, Baraniewski won the gold medal at the Polish Youth Judo Championships in Józefów after beating Eryk Ryciak in the final.[6]

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.[7] 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.[8][9] In 2024, Baraniewski won another GAMMA European Championships gold medal after beating Cristian Constantinov in the finals.[10]

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.[11] 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.[12]

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).[13]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Baraniewski made his UFC debut against İbo Aslan on December 6, 2025, at UFC 323.[14] He won the fight via first-round knockout.[15][16] This fight earned him his first Performance of the Night award.[17]

Baraniewski faced Austen Lane on March 21, 2026, at UFC Fight Night 270.[18] He won the fight via knockout early into the first round.[19] This fight earned him a $100,000 Performance of the Night award.[20]

Baraniewski was scheduled to face Billy Elekana on June 6, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 278.[21] However, Elekana withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Junior Tafa.[22]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Professional

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

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 |align=center|8–0 |Austen Lane |TKO (punches) |UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy |March 21, 2026 |align=center|1 |align=center|0:28 |London, England |Performance of the Night. |- |Win |align=center|7–0 |İbo Aslan |KO (punches) |UFC 323 |December 6, 2025 |align=center|1 |align=center|1:29 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States |Performance of the Night. |- |Win |align=center|6–0 |Mahamed Aly |KO (punches) |Dana White's Contender Series 82 |September 16, 2025 |align=center|1 |align=center|0:20 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|5–0 |Kamil Stachura |TKO (elbows and punches) |Babilon MMA 51 |March 14, 2025 |align=center|1 |align=center|3:02 |Ciechanów, Poland | |- |Win |align=center|4–0 |Sylwester Borys |TKO (punches) |Babilon MMA 49 |November 22, 2024 |align=center|1 |align=center|3:01 |Radom, Poland | |- |Win |align=center|3–0 |Cemey dos Santos |TKO (punches) |Babilon MMA 47 |September 28, 2024 |align=center|1 |align=center|1:11 |Wieliczka, Poland |Catchweight (214 lb) bout. |- |Win |align=center|2–0 |Miroslav Uchytil |Submission (armbar) |Babilon MMA 42 |January 27, 2024 |align=center|1 |align=center|3:54 |Żyrardów, Poland | |- |Win |align=center|1–0 |Kamil Bartosiński |Submission (armbar) |Babilon MMA 39 |September 30, 2023 |align=center|1 |align=center|3:17 |Radom, Poland |Light Heavyweight debut.

See also

References

  1. ^ Filip Lewandowski Podcast (28 July 2025). "Iwo Baraniewski - poznajcie lepiej nowego Polaka w UFC!" (in pl-PL). YouTube. Retrieved 2026-01-04.
  2. ^ "Iwo Baraniewski Results". International Judo Federation. 2025-01-12. Retrieved 2025-01-12.
  3. ^ "World Juniors Championships 2018". International Judo Federation. 2018-10-17. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  4. ^ "ADCC Polish Nationals 2019". ADCC Submission Fighting World Federation. 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  5. ^ "ADCC Polish Nationals 2020". ADCC Submission Fighting World Federation. 2019-10-03. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  6. ^ "Mistrzostwa Polski Młodzieży" (in Polish). Polski Związek Judo. 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  7. ^ "GAMMA: European Championships 2021 (Finals)". Tapology. 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  8. ^ "GAMMA: European Championships 2022 (Finals)". Tapology. 2022-09-27. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  9. ^ "GAMMA: World Championships 2021 (Day 3)". Tapology. 2022-03-27. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  10. ^ "GAMMA: European Championships 2024 (Finals)". Tapology. 2024-05-20. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  11. ^ "Babilon MMA 39: Wyniki i skróty walk (WIDEO)" (in Polish). Polsat Sport. September 30, 2023. Retrieved 2025-01-10.
  12. ^ Adam (March 14, 2025). "Babilon MMA 51 wyniki - kto wygrał?" (in pl-PL). Zawód Typer. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  13. ^ Bartłomiej Stachura (June 19, 2025). "Nadchodzi renesans polskiego MMA! Wikłacz i Ruchała w UFC, Oleksiejczuk i Baraniewski w Contenderze!" (in pl-PL). LowKing. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  14. ^ Nolan King (October 22, 2025). "Jalin Turner's UFC comeback announced vs. violent lightweight staple". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  15. ^ Bartłomiej Stachura (December 7, 2025). "Polsko-turecka wojna! Iwo Baraniewski zdemolował w szalonym debiucie Ibo Aslana na UFC 323" (in pl-PL). LowKing. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  16. ^ Shawn Bitter (December 6, 2025). "UFC 323: Iwo Baraniewski Ends Ibo Aslan In Insane, Chaotic Brawl". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  17. ^ Dan Hiergesell (2025-12-07). "Bonuses! Iwo Baraniewski banks $50K for incredible 90-second UFC debut - UFC 323". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2025-12-07.
  18. ^ Bartlomiej Stachura (2026-01-11). "Iwo Baraniewski wraca co oktagonu ufc – w drugiej walce jego przeciwnikiem bedzie Austen Lane". lowking.pl. Retrieved 2026-03-22. (in Polish)
  19. ^ Patrick Danna (2026-03-21). "UFC London: Iwo Baraniewski shocks Austen Lane with quick finish". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  20. ^ Matt Erickson (2026-03-21). "UFC London bonuses: Jones-Sola bankrolled after bloody battle". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
  21. ^ Bartłomiej Stachura (2026-03-30). "Iwo Baraniewski wraca do akcji! Wystąpi na czerwcowej gali UFC Vegas, mierząc się z rozpędzonym serią trzech zwycięstw Billym Elekaną" (in pl-PL). lowking.pl. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  22. ^ Bartlomiej Stachura (2026-05-22). "Zle wcale nie jest, bo dostajemy… Czas! Jak mocny jest Junior Tafa, nowy rywal Iwo Baraniewskiego?". lowking.pl. Retrieved 2026-05-23. (in Polish)
  23. ^ "The Fights | 2025 UFC.com Awards | UFC". www.ufc.com. December 22, 2025. Retrieved December 24, 2025.
  24. ^ Meshew, Jed (December 30, 2025). "2025 Best of the Rest Awards: Event of the Year, Round of the Year, Bozo of the Year, and more". MMA Fighting. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
  25. ^ Meshew, Jed (January 1, 2026). "2025 All-Violence Team: Who were the most memorable fighters in each weight class this year?". MMA Fighting. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  26. ^ Baldwin, Nick (December 26, 2025). "2025 MMA awards: Our top fighters, moments of the year". theScore.com. Retrieved December 26, 2025.