Athletes
Iwo Baraniewski | There’s Much More To Come
Polish Knockout Artist Has Blasted His Way Into The UFC, But He’s Keen To Show He Has A Lot More In His Arsenal.
Poland’s Iwo Baraniewski has already fought twice in the UFC Octagon, but unless you were paying attention, you might have missed them. He wasn’t in there for long.
The 27-year-old Contender Series graduate from Warsaw has built a reputation as a quick-fire finisher of fights, with his two Octagon appearances to date totaling a combined time of just one minute, 57 seconds.
His debut, against Ibo Aslan at UFC 323, has already gone down as one of the craziest one-round fights in UFC history as he stood toe to toe with a fellow knockout artist and eventually scored the knockout after 99 seconds.
It earned him a fight a little closer to home as he faced former UFC heavyweight Austen Lane at UFC London in March. It took Baraniewski just 28 second to finish his man as he served notice to the rest of the light heavyweight division.
When UFC.com caught up with him ahead of his upcoming bout with Junior Tafa at UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim, we found him in an understandably upbeat mood as he chatted about his UFC experience so far.
“For me, it was ‘WOW!’ because I fought three times,” he said. “I fought in Contender (Series), I fought my debut at UFC 323, I fought at UFC London. So my dream and career are going so fast, and I am happy.”
Baraniewski’s rise has been swift, to say the least. Already 2-0 in the UFC, he’s still very much in the early stages of his career his fight on Saturday will only be his ninth as a pro. Despite his short time in the spotlight, he’s already picked up a legion of fans, and his wins on the big stage were greeted rapturously by his supporters back home.
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“My fans' reaction was a very, very big reaction,” he explained. “Because fans like me. I have a lot of fans on social media, a lot of fans support me, and a lot of fans support me from other countries around the world. So for me, it’s another motivation to win another fight.”
If he keeps knocking over opponents in the same fashion that we’ve seen so far, that fanbase is only going to get larger. He’s also earned Performance of the Night bonuses in each of his UFC appearances to date, so his bank balance is getting a nice boost, too.
“I like extra money, and I think I will be counting another (bonus),” he smiled.
His opponent on Saturday, Junior Tafa, is renowned for his willingness to stand and trade, with those who opt to throw hands with him tending to end up on the wrong end of a knockout. The Australian has only been stopped by strikes once in his career, but that doesn’t faze Baraniewski, who is happy to share the Octagon with just about anyone as he looks to fight his way to the top of the division.
“For me, it doesn't matter. I must win with everybody,” he stated.
“I know that Junior has heavy hands, and I must be careful, but
we are ready for this.”
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Given what we’ve seen from Baraniewski so far, there’s a solid chance we could see the heavy-handed Pole stand and bang with Tafa. But hidden away from the highlight-reel knockouts, there are other weapons in the Pole’s arsenal. He’s a former judoka who captured bronze in the World Junior Championships and is more than happy to take the action to the ground, if needed.
In addition to his six knockout wins, Baraniewski also has two submissions to his name, and he admitted he’d love to be able to showcase his ground game in the Octagon.
“I have a plan. I would like to show my grappling skills, but we will see how the fight goes,” he hinted. “But if we'll be fighting in the striking, I'll show you my striking skills again.”
Ultimately, Baraniewski wants to follow in the footsteps of the Polish UFC greats Joanna Jędrzejczyk and Jan Błachowicz, who brought undisputed UFC championships back to Poland.
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Baraniewski represents the next generation of Polish MMA stars on the world stage, and said he hopes to one day emulate his heroes’ successes in the Octagon.
“It's an honor for me, and I would like (my career) to go this way, like Joanna, and like Jan,” he said. “I would like to be the nextPolish UFC champion.”
It’s a lofty goal, but it’s one he plans on achieving by demolishing opponent after opponent until he’s left holding the belt. And if he gets the win he’s chasing against Tafa this weekend, he’d love nothing more than a crack at someone in the top 15.
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“I'll be waiting for the next guy, the next opponent. I'm ready for everybody, and I will be waiting for a contract,” he said. “Maybe somebody from the rankings, yeah, but I don't know who. I’ll take everybody.”
And when we asked him whether there was a chance that we might see the action go past the first round for the first time in his pro career this weekend, he just grinned.
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“Really? There’s something more than the first round?”
UFC Fight Night: Muhammad vs Bonfim took place live from Meta APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 6, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!