Rivalries: Alonzo Menifield

Some might say that Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight contender Alonzo Menifield has been operating incognito, with paltry attention sent his way despite his occupying the No. 11 spot in the 205-pound rankings. The American likes making his point with his punches and shuns the spotlight when all eyes are on him. A current five-fight undefeated streak in the UFC commands immediate notice, while a combined 8-3-1 overall record in the organization only goes to show he is ready for bigger and better challenges.

In his latest assignment, Menifield takes on Carlos Ulberg as part of the UFC on ESPN 56 main card this Saturday at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. Ahead of his looming battle with Ulberg, a look at some of the rivalries that have shaped his career thus far:

Paul Craig

Menifield made the most of the second crack to lay hands on the coveted UFC contract by taking on Dashawn Boatwright in June 2018 on Dana White’s Contender Series. He won the contest via technical knockout with ground-and-pound within eight seconds of the first round and carried the steam into his promotional debut against Vinicius Moreira. With yet another first-round TKO victory over Moreira, “Atomic” was operating at top gear, carrying a three-fight first-round finish streak into his bout against Craig. Menifield pressured Craig for the better portion of the first round, waiting for the opportune moment to unleash his power. With little under two minutes left on the clock in the opening frame, Craig launched a round kick that grazed past Menifield and was partly blocked by his guard. The American capitalized on a mistake when Craig tried to launch another spinning attack and slipped to the canvas, handing the finish to Menifield on a silver platter. Menifield pounced with punches, forcing the stoppage at the 3:19 mark of the first round.

Askar Mozharov

Mozharov’s record underwent several changes leading up to the bout against Menifield in what transpired to be one of the most bizarre pre-fight dramas. The shifting record stoked Menifield’s ire and the disrespectful behavior by his opponent inside the cage fed the inferno of his rage. During the contest, Mozharov kept taunting his foe by claiming that he could not feel his punches, labeling them “soft.” To amplify his thirst for the finish, Menifield tried visualizing Mozharov calling him a racial slur. He scored a takedown against his rival, smothered him by pressing his forearm into his face and unleashed merciless pounding from the crucifix position that forced the bout to be stopped at 4:40 of the first round. The way he perceives it, he turned “gangster” to demolish Mozharov.

Jimmy Crute

Menifield traveled to Crute’s home turf to open the main card of UFC 284 in Perth, Australia. The bout was a back-and-forth affair, with Crute controlling the grappling sequences and Menifield got the better of the striking exchanges. In the third round, Crute forced a takedown attempt, prompting Menifield to grab the fence. Referee Marc Goddard paused the action and took a point for the blatant foul. This resulted in the fight being scored a majority draw. Five months later, the stage was set for the rematch at UFC 290. This time, “Atomic” was patient in his approach, landing the bigger shots while avoiding getting taken down to the ground. In the second round, Crute put his weight behind a double-leg, only for Menifield to pop right back to his feet. He clamped onto the neck, twisting the Australian to the canvas, where Menifield drew out the tap with a guillotine choke at the 1:55 mark of the second round.