Alonzo Menifield faces Iwo Baraniewski at UFC 331 in Los Angeles

Alonzo Menifield dug deep to overcome a gruesome injury en route to a win at UFC 331.

Menifield was unfazed by the injury as he handed Baraniewski his first career loss.

Alonzo Menifield suffered one of the most gruesome thumb injuries we’ve ever seen during a decision win over Iwo Baraniewski earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 19, 2026) at UFC 331 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. Most were expecting a classic Baraniewski firefight, but the undefeated Polish fighter came out more […]

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: (L-R) (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Alonzo Menifield pulled off one of the biggest wins of his career at UFC 331 and he did it despite competing with a mangled thumb that was injured in the opening round. Menifield showed off the gruesome injury afterwards and revealed it actually happened in the first round but he refused to stop fighting and ultimately won a split decision with scores reading 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 with two judges giving him the fight and the victory. MENIFIELD IS TOUGH AS HELL THE BONE IS STICKING OUT#UFC331 pic.twitter.com/A6Y7d5ayan — Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) September 20, 2026 The light heavyweights were quick to throw with power to start the fight but neither of them were landing just yet. Baraniewski welcomed Menifield into the pocket as they were unloading huge punches. Menifield connected with a slick combination but Baraniewski showed no fear as he kept firing back and he hurt his opponent as they battled against the cage. Menifield landed a solid punch but Baraniewski returned fire and connected with the better strikes as the light heavyweights hit the floor. Baraniewski continued to find a home for his combinations but Menifield was evasive enough to avoid a potential knockdown or knockout. As round two got started, Menifield marched forward and unloaded a barrage of punches in succession before ending up in the clinch with Baraniewskij, jockeying for position against the cage. After they separated, Baraniewski and Menifield just started trading bombs but they refused to go down despite landing with some seriously heavy leather. With five minutes remaining, the ringside physician paused the action to check on Menifield’s left thumb, which looked like it was barely connected to the hand. But Menifield insisted that he wanted to keep going so the fight continued despite effectively competing with a broken thumb. The slugfest continued with both fighters landing at times, although Menifield seemed to do a big more damage as time ticked away to the final horn. Considering he was fighting with an injury that would send most fighters running for the doctor, Menifield somehow found a way to win as he picks up his second win in a row overall and hands Baraniewski the first loss of his professional career.

Alonzo Menifield picked up a huge win at UFC 331 to open up the main card

Alonzo Menifield fought through a horrifying finger cut to hand Iwo Baraniewski his first loss at UFC 331.

Alonzo Menifield and Iwo Baraniewski ahead of UFC 331 | Chris Unger, Zuffa LLC 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.

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