Fighters on the Rise | Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2

Baraniewski made his promotional debut at UFC 323, getting into a wild dust-up with Ibo Aslan where they combined to throw 85 significant strikes in 89 seconds with each man getting knocked down before Baraniewski finally put Aslan down for good. Over his next two fights, the first-year light heavyweight had added stoppage wins over Austen Lane and Junior Tafa, pitching shutouts against both and dispatching them in less than two minutes combined. 

READ: Iwo Baraniewski | You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet

Now, Baraniewski looks to wrap his rookie campaign with a fourth straight win and a spot in the rankings by taking out Alonzo Menifield in the UFC 331 main card opener on Saturday. 

In addition to clearly brandishing the “legendary Polish power,” what stands out about Baraniewski thus far is that we’ve still yet to see him lean on his foundational skill inside the Octagon. He hasn’t needed to dip into his judo bag because no one has been able to reckon with the power coming back their way. The win over Tafa was the most impressive because everything started with a thudding low kick, which showed “Rudy” has power and clean technique with his kicks too. Menifield is a perfect matchup as he too is a powerhouse that prefers chucking knuckles but has the experience to slow things down and potentially grind it out if needed. Regardless of how things play out this weekend, Baraniewski is one to continue paying close attention to going forward. 

Gable Steveson

Steveson is in an impossible position in that he’s arrived on the biggest stage in the sport heralded as “The Next Big Thing” and a generational talent, so anything short of pure dominance will be considered a letdown. The unbeaten heavyweight prospect won two NCAA Division I titles and an Olympic gold medal during his time on the wrestling mats before making the transition to MMA a touch over one year ago. Three straight first-round drubbings carried him to the UFC where he dispatched Elisha Ellison at UFC 329 to move to 4-0 and take the first step towards validating his billing.

In addition to his elite wrestling credentials, Steveson is an outstanding athlete. Something to track is how quickly the 26-year-old realizes he can lean on his wrestling and ground-and-pound instead of trying to showcase his standup skills.

UPCOMING UFC EVENT TICKETS: UFC Edmonton | UFC 332 

This weekend, Steveson faces off with Sean Sharaf, a born-and-raised Los Angeleno who flashed power on the regional circuit but has struggled in the Octagon. Like Ellison, he’s someone that has a little more experience than Steveson but enters as a considerable underdog. As with Steveson’s debut, this is all about seeing how he handles himself and the progress he’s made since that first appearance earlier this year.

Projecting someone to become a dominant champion when they’ve yet to face any adversity inside the cage always feels unfair to me, but that’s the level of hype and excitement Steveson brings to the table. There is no denying his incredible upside, and his impressive foundation should be enough for a few more fights before he starts running into more daunting challenges. That’s when the real evaluation of where he stands and who he could become will begin.

Ryan Gandra