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UFC Record Breakdown
Iwo "Rudy" Baraniewski is riding into UFC Vegas 118 with some serious heat. The Polish light heavyweight has finished both his UFC fights in the first round, and we're talking scary fast. He knocked out Austen Lane in 28 seconds back in March, and before that he put away Ibo Aslan in under 90 seconds. That's two guys who never made it out of the opening frame, and now Junior "The Juggernaut" Tafa is stepping in on short notice to replace Billy Elekana. Here's the thing about Tafa.
If Baraniewski's going to get another quick finish, it's happening in that opening round when he comes out hunting for heads.
He's tough as nails and comes from that NTG Fight & Fitness crew in New Zealand, but he's been having a rough go lately. He got caught in a rear naked choke by Elekana back in January, and before that Tuco Tokkos got him with an arm triangle. That's two straight submission losses, which is wild because when Tafa's on, he can crack. He knocked out Kevin Christian with nasty elbows from half guard in May, and back at heavyweight he slept Sean Sharaf in the second round. The matchup is interesting because Baraniewski is all about that Orthodox striking and putting guys away early, landing at 72 to 77 percent in his UFC wins.
Tafa's got power too, but those submission losses have to be in the back of his mind. Plus, taking this fight on short notice against someone who's been murdering dudes in under two minutes? That's a tough ask. Baraniewski's looking to stay perfect and keep this knockout streak alive. Tafa needs to survive the early storm and maybe drag this into deep water where Rudy hasn't been tested yet.
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Junior Tafa's recent form
Iwo "Rudy" Baraniewski is riding into UFC Vegas 118 with some serious heat. The Polish light heavyweight has finished both his UFC fights in the first round, and we're talking scary fast. He knocked out Austen Lane in 28 seconds back in March, and before that he put away Ibo Aslan in under 90 seconds. That's two guys who never made it out of the opening frame, and now Junior "The Juggernaut" Tafa is stepping in on short notice to replace Billy Elekana. Here's the thing about Tafa.
If Baraniewski's going to get another quick finish, it's happening in that opening round when he comes out hunting for heads.
He's tough as nails and comes from that NTG Fight & Fitness crew in New Zealand, but he's been having a rough go lately. He got caught in a rear naked choke by Elekana back in January, and before that Tuco Tokkos got him with an arm triangle. That's two straight submission losses, which is wild because when Tafa's on, he can crack. He knocked out Kevin Christian with nasty elbows from half guard in May, and back at heavyweight he slept Sean Sharaf in the second round. The matchup is interesting because Baraniewski is all about that Orthodox striking and putting guys away early, landing at 72 to 77 percent in his UFC wins.
Tafa's got power too, but those submission losses have to be in the back of his mind. Plus, taking this fight on short notice against someone who's been murdering dudes in under two minutes? That's a tough ask. Baraniewski's looking to stay perfect and keep this knockout streak alive. Tafa needs to survive the early storm and maybe drag this into deep water where Rudy hasn't been tested yet.
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Iwo Baraniewski finish map
Iwo Baraniewski breakdown
Iwo Baraniewski's recent form
Pace delta
+12.4 significant strikes/min
Iwo Baraniewski averages 15.8 significant strikes per minute while Junior Tafa sits at 3.4.
AI confidence
83%
Probability weighting from the AgentMMA simulator.
Finish radar
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Junior Tafa vs Iwo Baraniewski odds: this page includes live Polymarket odds for this matchup.
