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The UFC doesn’t stop promoting Iwo Baraniewski. A few days before the Pole’s next appearance, the world’s largest MMA organization decided to remind fans of his crazy debut in the octagon. The entire fight with Ibo Aslan was published on social media and YouTube, and the first round itself was described as one of the most spectacular in the organization’s history.
The popular “Rudy” made his way to the UFC through a breakthrough. He won the contract thanks to an impressive knockout in Dana White’s Contender Series, and then instantly proved that he does not intend to be just a curiosity from Europe.
This coming weekend Baraniewski will once again check in the octagon. At the UFC Vegas 118 gala, the Pole will face Junior Tafa. Initially his opponent was to be Billy Elekana, but the American dropped out of the bout a few weeks before the event.
A change of opponent means a completely different challenge. Elekana was regarded as a more versatile and dangerous fighter on the ground. Tafa is primarily a standup fighter, who ended the vast majority of his fights with punch exchanges. The Australian has a record of 7-5, and has recorded a balance of 3-5 under the UFC banner.
Interestingly, he fought his last bout only in early May, when he took down Kevin Christian. Before that, however, he lost twice before time, including a submission of Billy Elekana earlier in the year. All this makes many experts see Baraniewski as the clear favorite of the upcoming clash.
It is also possible that fans will see a slightly different face of the Pole this time. So far “Rudy” has impressed primarily with his knockout power and aggression in the standup, but he himself has repeatedly stressed that his arsenal is much wider. The clash with Tafa could therefore be an opportunity to showcase his wrestling and grappling skills as well.
Before Baraniewski’s next appearance, the UFC organization decided to remind fans of his first fight in the octagon. The fight in question, of course, was against Ibo Aslan at UFC 323.
It was one of those clashes that electrified the audience from the first second. Both fighters rushed at each other without the slightest respect, and in no time a real war took place in the cage. Blow for blow, exchange for exchange – the fans in the hall went wild, as did the commentators broadcasting the event.
The pace of the fight was so high that it was hard to believe that the fighters would maintain it for even a few minutes. In the end, there was no need to do so. Baraniewski ended the duel even before the one and a half minute mark, severely knocking out Aslan and writing himself into the memory of the fans.
The UFC has now released full footage of the clash on its YouTube channel. The organization additionally referred to the first round of the bout as “the best first round ever,” which only goes to show how impressed the Pole’s performance was with the governing body and fans.
It’s no secret that the UFC has high hopes for Baraniewski. The Pole already has two wins by knockout – first over Aslan and then over Austen Lane. If he also deals with Junior Tafa in a similar style, he could very soon find himself on the radar of the top fighters in his weight category.
So this coming weekend will be another opportunity to see if “Rudy” really is one of the greatest talents to come to the UFC from Europe in recent years.
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