The UFC has officially confirmed a heavyweight showdown between rising star Iwo Baraniewski and Turkish knockout artist Ibo Aslan for UFC 323, set to happen on December 6, 2025, on the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The bout represents a big test for each fighters as they give the impression of being to determine themselves in the sunshine heavyweight division’s increasingly competitive landscape.
UFC 323 marks the ultimate pay-per-view event under the promotion’s current ESPN broadcast partnership before transitioning to a brand new media take care of Paramount Skydance in 2026, ending the pay-per-view model that has defined the game for a long time. The historic card features 14 total bouts, including two championship fights, with the Aslan-Baraniewski matchup adding to an already loaded lineup that showcases the depth of talent across multiple weight classes.
Rising Polish Prospect Faces Turkish Power
Iwo Baraniewski enters UFC 323 riding a powerful wave of momentum after earning his UFC contract with one of the spectacular performances in Dana White’s Contender Series history. The 26-year-old Polish prospect stunned observers at DWCS 82 in September 2025 by delivering a devastating 20-second knockout of Mahamed Aly—the fifth-fastest finish within the show’s history—despite entering as the largest betting underdog on your entire card.
The undefeated Baraniewski (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) brings a novel skill set to the octagon, boasting an completed judo background that features winning the European MMA Championships in 2024. Nonetheless, his DWCS performance revealed a striking prowess that caught even his own fans by surprise, as he elected to maintain the fight standing and knocked out Aly with a superbly timed overhand right reasonably than showcasing his grappling credentials.
POLISH POWER 🇵🇱 💥
This 20 second KO earned Iwo Baraniewski a contract at #DWCS last night! pic.twitter.com/izffhxWElg
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) September 17, 2025
“We have now plan to fight in boxing, we planned to knock him out,” Baraniewski revealed during his post-fight media appearance. “That was the plan”. The Polish fighter’s ability to complete fights has been consistent throughout his profession, with victories over Kamil Stachura, Sylwester Borys, and Cemey dos Santos all coming by stoppage.
Aslan Looks to Rebound from Recent Struggles
Ibo “The Last Ottoman” Aslan presents a formidable challenge for the UFC newcomer, bringing each experience and explosive ending ability to the matchup. The 29-year-old Austrian-based Turkish fighter holds an overall skilled record of 14-3 and has established himself as certainly one of the division’s most dangerous knockout artists.
Aslan’s UFC journey began with tremendous promise after earning his contract via DWCS in August 2023 with a first-round TKO of Paulo Renato Jr. He continued his momentum with impressive stoppage victories over Anton Turkalj and Rafael Cerqueira, with the latter bout ending in only 51 seconds at UFC 308 in October 2024. His devastating power earned him 14 profession knockout victories, with all of his skilled wins coming by the use of finish.
BIG SHOTS from Ibo Aslan for the TKO 😤 #DWCS pic.twitter.com/BfxSn6w60L
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) August 16, 2023
Nonetheless, recent setbacks have raised questions on Aslan’s ability to compete at the best level. He suffered a submission loss to Ion Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night 252 in February 2025, getting caught in an arm-triangle choke in the primary round. He followed that with a unanimous decision loss to Billy Elekana at UFC on ABC 9 in July 2025, marking his first profession defeat that went the space. The Baraniewski bout represents a vital opportunity for Aslan to prove he belongs among the many elite light heavyweights.
UFC 323 Complete Fight Card
UFC 323 encompasses a remarkable collection of talent across 14 confirmed matchups that promise fireworks from top to bottom. The event showcases the promotion’s commitment to delivering a spectacular finale to the ESPN pay-per-view era.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan (UFC Bantamweight Championship) – The important event features champion Dvalishvili attempting to make history as the primary UFC fighter to successfully defend a title 4 times in a single calendar 12 months. Dvalishvili won their first meeting via dominant unanimous decision in March 2023, and the rematch guarantees fireworks as Yan looks for redemption.
Alexandre Pantoja vs. Joshua Van (UFC Flyweight Championship) – Pantoja puts his title on the road against the surging 23-year-old contender from Myanmar, who has won five consecutive fights and appears to develop into certainly one of the youngest champions in UFC history.
Jan Błachowicz vs. Bogdan Guskov (Light Heavyweight) – Former champion Błachowicz seeks to snap a three-fight winless streak against rising Uzbek contender Guskov, who has won 4 straight fights, all by stoppage.
Brandon Moreno vs. Tatsuro Taira (Flyweight) – Former two-time champion Moreno battles Japanese prospect Taira in a possible title eliminator, with each fighters seeking to position themselves for one more championship opportunity.
Muhammad Naimov vs. Mairon Santos (Featherweight) – An intriguing matchup between two talented featherweight contenders.
Henry Cejudo vs. Payton Talbott (Bantamweight) – Former two-division champion Cejudo, riding a three-fight losing streak, faces surging prospect Talbott in what might be “Triple C’s” final octagon appearance.
Marvin Vettori vs. Brunno Ferreira (Middleweight) – Former title challenger Vettori looks to halt a two-fight skid against dangerous finisher Ferreira in a must-win scenario for the Italian veteran.
Maycee Barber vs. Karine Silva (Women’s Flyweight) – The fifth-ranked Barber returns after suffering a medical emergency before her scheduled May bout, facing ninth-ranked Silva in a pivotal flyweight matchup.
Edson Barboza vs. Jalin Turner (Lightweight) – UFC veteran Barboza faces Turner, who recently got here out of retirement after announcing he was stepping away from the game following a loss in March.
Iwo Baraniewski vs. Ibo Aslan (Heavyweight) – The featured light heavyweight bout between the undefeated Polish prospect and Turkish knockout artist.
Grant Dawson vs. Manuel Torres (Lightweight) – A competitive lightweight matchup between two fighters seeking to climb the rankings.
Terrance McKinney vs. Chris Duncan (Lightweight) – One other exciting lightweight bout that was originally scheduled for 2023 but was postponed as a consequence of visa issues.
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Antonio Trócoli (Middleweight) – This rescheduled middleweight clash was initially set for February but moved to UFC 323.
Nazim Sadykhov vs. Farès Ziam (Lightweight) – Rounding out the cardboard is that this intriguing lightweight contest.
The December 6 event at T-Mobile Arena represents a big moment in UFC history because the promotion closes out the ESPN pay-per-view era with one of the stacked cards of 2025. With two title fights anchoring the important card and compelling matchups throughout, UFC 323 guarantees to deliver the form of action-packed entertainment that has defined the game’s biggest events. For Baraniewski and Aslan, the stakes couldn’t be higher as they give the impression of being to make their mark in a light-weight heavyweight division ripe with opportunity.