Oh, Alonzo Menifield. You know, the guy who’s been kinda like a ninja in the UFC light heavyweight scene? Yeah, he’s sitting pretty at No. 11, but it feels like nobody’s really buzzing about him. Prefers to let his fists do the talking, shying away from the limelight. And hey, he’s on a hot streak with five wins in a row in the UFC. His record? Solid 8-3-1.
This Saturday, Menifield’s stepping into the octagon against Carlos Ulberg. It’s all going down on the UFC on ESPN 56 main card, right in the heart of St. Louis. Before we dive into that, let’s take a quick detour through Menifield’s past scraps.
Paul Craig, anyone? Menifield got a second shot at a UFC contract by facing Dashawn Boatwright back in June 2018. It was on Dana White’s Contender Series, and boy, did he deliver. Knocked Boatwright out cold with some vicious ground-and-pound, all in eight seconds flat. Then, he steamrolled over Vinicius Moreira in his UFC debut. Another first-round TKO. When he squared off against Craig, Menifield was like a man possessed. Nearly two minutes left in round one, Craig tries a round kick. Menifield’s like, “Nope,” blocks it, and when Craig slips trying another fancy move, Menifield pounces. Game over, thanks for playing, Craig goes down at 3:19 of the first round.
Now, onto Askar Mozharov. Talk about pre-fight drama. Mozharov’s record was all over the place, and that ticked Menifield off. Inside the cage, Mozharov’s taunting, calling Menifield’s punches “soft.” Big mistake. Menifield imagines the worst, takes Mozharov down, and just unleashes hell. Wins it with a brutal beatdown from the crucifix position, stopping the fight at 4:40 of the first. Menifield’s mindset? Pure “gangster.”
Jimmy Crute’s next. The scene? Perth, Australia, UFC 284. It’s a tug-of-war, with Crute owning the grappling and Menifield outstriking him. Third round, Crute goes for a takedown, Menifield grabs the fence. Oops. Ref Marc Goddard sees it, deducts a point, and we end up with a majority draw. Fast forward five months, the rematch at UFC 290. Menifield’s patient this time, lands the heavier blows, and avoids the ground game. Crute tries a double-leg in round two, but Menifield’s not having it. Snags Crute’s neck, drags him down, and secures a guillotine choke. Tap out at 1:55 of the second round. Classic Menifield.