You only get one Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut!
And only one athlete made his walk under the bright lights of “Sin City” last night (Sat., Dec. 6, 2025) at UFC 323 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada — and holy smokes, it was a wild one.
Advertisement
UFC 323’s rookie won in emphatic fashion, so now that the dust has settled, let’s grade his performance.
Poland’s Iwo Baraniewski announced himself in style on Season 9 of Contender Series, starching Mahamed Aly in just 20 seconds. His official UFC debut? Only lasted about a minute longer.
Baraniewski and Ibo Aslan threw caution to the wind and immediately jumped into a 1:20 all-out brawl, with both men getting rocked repeatedly. Aslan opened with heavy low kicks before Baraniewski changed levels for a takedown, but the fight quickly devolved into a chaotic phone-booth slugfest.
Defense was optional. Violence was mandatory.
Advertisement
Baraniewski dropped Aslan early with a sharp right hook and followed with a barrage of punches on the canvas. Aslan somehow scrambled up and returned fire, cracking the Polish prospect with big combinations against the fence. The crowd roared as momentum swung back and forth in a sequence that felt like a budget remake of Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry.
Aslan kept marching forward with his hands dangerously low — and Baraniewski made him pay. A perfect counter right hook sent Aslan crashing to the mat, and Baraniewski sealed the deal with rapid-fire ground-and-pound until the referee stepped in (watch highlights).
One round. Pure chaos. And easily one of 2025’s top one-round scraps.
Baraniewski (7-0) keeps his 100 percent finish rate intact, with all seven wins coming in the first round. We still don’t know how good he truly is, but we know this: he is absurdly fun to watch — and that alone makes him a must-track name heading into 2026.
Advertisement
Final grade: B
LIVE! Stream UFC 323 On ESPN+
BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE REMATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heads to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Dec. 6, 2025, with an explosive (and final) ESPN+-streamed UFC 323 fight card. In UFC 323’s main event, relentless Georgian Bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, defends his belt against Russian striking phenom and former 135-pound roost-ruler, Petr Yan, in a high-stakes rematch that could reshape the 135-pound division. In UFC 323’s co-headliner, Brazilian Flyweight kingpin, Alexandre Pantoja, battles rising challenger, Joshua Van, for the 125-pound crown in a clash blending elite grappling and knockout power. All that and SO MUCH MORE!!!
Don’t miss a single second of face-punching action!
Where to Buy:
For more UFC 323 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.
