Iwo Baraniewski
Polish mixed martial artist (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
Warsaw, Poland
| Iwo Baraniewski | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | November 20, 1998 Warsaw, Poland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other names | Rudy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 211 lb (96 kg; 15 st 1 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Division |
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| Reach | 73 in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Style | Judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stance | Orthodox | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fighting out of | Warsaw, Poland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Aligatores Fight Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Black Belt in Judo Brown Belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2023–present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Total | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wins | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By knockout | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| By submission | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Losses | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Judo career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Poland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight class | –100 kg | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Judo achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Champ. | R64 (2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| European Champ. | R32 (2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Profile at external judo databases | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IJF | 18096 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| JudoInside.com | 95924 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (Two times) vs. İbo Aslan and Austen Lane[17][20]
- UFC.com Awards
- 2025: Ranked #5 Fight of the Year vs. İbo Aslan[23]
- MMA Fighting
- theScore
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
| 8 matches | 8 wins | 0 losses |
| By knockout | 6 | 0 |
| By submission | 2 | 0 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 8–0 | Austen Lane | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Evloev vs. Murphy | March 21, 2026 | 1 | 0:28 | London, England | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 7–0 | İbo Aslan | KO (punches) | UFC 323 | December 6, 2025 | 1 | 1:29 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Performance of the Night. |
| Win | 6–0 | Mahamed Aly | KO (punches) | Dana White's Contender Series 82 | September 16, 2025 | 1 | 0:20 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 5–0 | Kamil Stachura | TKO (elbows and punches) | Babilon MMA 51 | March 14, 2025 | 1 | 3:02 | Ciechanów, Poland | |
| Win | 4–0 | Sylwester Borys | TKO (punches) | Babilon MMA 49 | November 22, 2024 | 1 | 3:01 | Radom, Poland | |
| Win | 3–0 | Cemey dos Santos | TKO (punches) | Babilon MMA 47 | September 28, 2024 | 1 | 1:11 | Wieliczka, Poland | Catchweight (214 lb) bout. |
| Win | 2–0 | Miroslav Uchytil | Submission (armbar) | Babilon MMA 42 | January 27, 2024 | 1 | 3:54 | Żyrardów, Poland | |
| Win | 1–0 | Kamil Bartosiński | Submission (armbar) | Babilon MMA 39 | September 30, 2023 | 1 | 3:17 | Radom, Poland | Light Heavyweight debut. |
