UFC 331 live blog: Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski

This is the UFC 331 live blog for Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski, the main card light heavyweight bout Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Menifield (18-7-1) heads into Saturday night’s event as the underdog, but the 205-pound veteran has a habit of spoiling the plans of the matchmakers. This past May, he headed into enemy territory to win a thrilling striking battle against China’s Zhang Mingyang, and was previously the first man to defeat French prospect Oumar Sy. He has won three of his past four fights.

The red-hot Baraniewski (9-0) seeks his fourth UFC victory, with none of his octagon appearances lasting longer than 90 seconds. Baraniewski, 27, debuted with a wild win over Ibo Aslan, and followed that up with a 28-second knockout over Austen Lane before scoring another fast finish against Junior Tafa. With a win over the veteran Menifield, Baraniewski likely finds himself with a number next to his name when the rankings are next updated.

Check out the UFC 331 live blog for Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski below.

Preamble

All aboard the Iwo Baraniewski hype train! Is he the future light heavyweight GOAT or, as Jed Meshew has suggested, just the 205-pound version of Terrance McKinney? We’ll learn a lot tonight in this matchup with the always game Alonzo Menifield.

Always tell me the odds

The undefeated Baraniewski is a sizable favorite at -295 according to FanDuel, Menifield the underdog at +240.

Round 1

Tentative start, both guys respecting each other’s power. Menifield lands a right, Baraniewski answers with a left hand. Menifield with a good job, but Baraniewski connects with a power punch and that backs Menifield up. Menifield comes forward and gets rocked again. Baraniewski on the offensive, Menifield wisely ties him up.