UFC 331 live blog: Alonzo Menifield vs. Iwo Baraniewski

Alonzo Menifield defeated undefeated light heavyweight Iwo Baraniewski by split decision at UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, pulling off a significant upset victory while competing with a severely mangled thumb.

Menifield (18-7-1) entered as a sizable underdog at +240 against the -295 favorite Baraniewski (9-0), a red-hot prospect whose previous three UFC bouts had all ended within 90 seconds. The 27-year-old Baraniewski had debuted with a wild victory over Ibo Aslan, followed by a 28-second knockout of Austen Lane and another quick finish against Junior Tafa. Menifield, by contrast, came in as a veteran spoiler—having won three of his last four fights, including a thrilling striking victory over China's Zhang Mingyang in May and previously holding the distinction of being the first man to defeat French prospect Oumar Sy.

Baraniewski came out aggressively in round one, landing power punches that hurt Menifield and forced him to clinch for survival. The fight remained competitive in round two, with both men trading combinations at a frenetic pace. Before round three began, the cage-side physician examined Menifield's visibly mangled left thumb but allowed him to continue. Menifield showed superior energy in the final round, earning two judges' scores of 29-28 and handing Baraniewski his first professional loss. The victory marked Menifield's second consecutive upset win.

Official result: Alonzo Menifield def. Iwo Baraniewski via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)