Alonzo Menifield vs Iwo Baraniewski Odds
| Menifield Odds | +205 |
| Baraniewski Odds | -250 |
| Over/Under | 1.5 (+185/-245) |
| Location | Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California |
| Bout Time | 9:15 p.m. ET |
| TV/Streaming | Paramount+ |
| UFC 331 odds as of Friday and via DraftKings. Bet on UFC 331 with our DraftKings promo code. | |
Check out the Alonzo Menifield vs Iwo Baraniewski prediction for UFC 331 on Saturday, September 19, along with my betting preview and breakdown.
Here's my Menifield vs. Baraniewski pick and prediction.
Tale of the Tape
| Menifield | Baraniewski | |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 18-6-1 | 9-0 |
| Avg. Fight Time | 7:24 | 0:56 |
| Height | 6'0" | 6'0" |
| Weight (pounds) | 205 lbs. | 205 lbs. |
| Reach (inches) | 76" | 73" |
| Stance | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Date of birth | 10/18/1987 | 11/20/1998 |
| Sig Strikes Per Min | 3.84 | 11.35 |
| SS Accuracy | 53% | 57% |
| SS Absorbed Per Min | 3.81 | 8.65 |
| SS Defense | 51% | 52% |
| Take Down Avg | 0.48 | 0.00 |
| TD Acc | 31% | 0% |
| TD Def | 78% | 100% |
| Submission Avg | 0.2 | 0.0 |
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Menifield vs. Baraniewski Pick, Prediction
While Gable Steveson is the more hyped undefeated prospect at UFC 331, he's not the only one. Poland's Iwo Baraniewski has been extremely impressive to start his UFC career, with four straight first-round knockouts (including on the Contender Series) in less than four minutes of combined cage time.
The most impressive thing about Baraniewski is that his background is actually in Judo, but he hasn't needed to use his grappling at all. Even in a memorable back-and-forth brawl with Ibo Aslan, he was happy to exchange blows even after getting dropped, and eventually emerged victorious. I was worried about him from a defensive standpoint after that fight, but he hasn't absorbed a single significant strike since.
He's getting a big step up in Alonzo Menifield, an 18-fight UFC veteran who has never been a top contender, but has settled in as a fairly effective gatekeeper at light heavyweight. Menifield is coming off a win over another much hyped prospect, Zhang Mingyang, whom he knocked out as a similarly-sized underdog as he is this weekend.
The former CFL and Arena Football League linebacker is a plus athlete and has developed a well-rounded mixed martial arts skill set, but is closing in on the twilight of his career at 38 years old.
He's 3-3 over his last six, with all three losses coming via knockout, and doesn't have a true edge over Baraniewski in this matchup. Menifield has the size and power to be dangerous in any fight, but it's hard to envision him winning outside of a somewhat fluky knockout.
I've been betting on Baraniewski to show off his grappling in most of his UFC fights to date, so for the sake of the bit I'll have a small sprinkle on his over 0.5 takedown prop at +350 on DraftKings.
However, my main position is Baraniewski to win in Rounds 1 or 2 at -175 via FanDuel. I'm happy to pay the extra juice relative to his -115 Round 1 prop in case Menifield extends this fight via some wall and stall.
Billy's Picks:
- Baraniewski in Rounds 1 or 2 -175
- Baraniewski Over 0.5 Takedowns +350
