Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield prediction, pick, time for UFC 331

Iwo Baraniewski and Alonzo Menifield meet in the UFC 331 main card opener on Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Check out this quick breakdown of the matchup from MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom.

Last event’s results: 1-5
UFC main cards, 2026: 101-60-1

Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield UFC 331 preview

Baraniewski (9-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is a first-round wrecking machine. Every fight in his pro career has ended in the opening round. In the UFC, Baraniewski has finished Ibo Aslan, Austen Lane and Junior Tafa – earning bonuses for each stoppage.

Menifield (18-6-1 MMA, 11-6-1 UFC) brings more experience to this matchup, and just so happens to be coming off a first-round finish of Zhang Mingyang in May. While he’s had his ups and downs, Menifield is 3-1 over his last four fights.

Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield UFC 331 expert pick, prediction

Despite the UFC matchmakers, once again, going against Joe Silva’s tried-and-true method of opening main cards with lighter-weight action fights, Iwo Baraniewski vs.Alonzo Menifield should be entertaining while it lasts.

Although Menifield and his improved wrestling can stymie fights in his favor, Baraniewski is a natural-born action fighter who comes from a judo background.

It’s hard to know just how competent Baraniewski is as a grappler given his limited UFC sample size, so I hope Menifield can bring more out of his Polish counterpart regardless of the result. That said, I suspect that Baraniewski can still produce a finish in the first half of the fight.

The official pick is Baraniewski to force a stoppage via strikes by the beginning of Round 2.

Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield UFC 331 odds

The oddsmakers and the public favor the Polish fighter, listing Baraniewski -220 and Menifield +184 via FanDuel.

Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield UFC 331 start time, how to watch

As the main card opener, Baraniewski and Menifield are expected to walk to the cage at approximately 9:10 p.m. ET. The fight streams live on Paramount+.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Iwo Baraniewski vs. Alonzo Menifield prediction, pick, time for UFC 331

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