Alonzo Menifield

Alonzo Menifield (born October 18, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2015, he has formerly fought in Bellator and the Legacy Fighting Alliance. As of August 1, 2023, he is #14 in the UFC light heavyweight rankings.[2]

Alonzo Menifield
Menifield in 2019
BornAlonzo Menifield
(1987-10-18) October 18, 1987
Los Angeles, California, United States
Other namesAtomic
Height6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
DivisionHeavyweight
Light Heavyweight
Reach76 in (193 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofDallas, Texas, United States
TeamSaekson's Muay Thai
Years active2015–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins14
By knockout10
By submission3
By decision1
Losses3
By knockout1
By decision2
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

Menifield was born in Los Angeles, California. After his father passed away, his mother raised him and his brother until the age of 14 when the boys were put in foster care. Menifield bounced around between 12 different foster homes. Menifield attended Canyon High School for only two years, but graduated and excelled at football. Menifield continued his football career at NJCAA Glendale Community College (California), where he starred as primarily a linebacker and was an Honorable Mention All-American his sophomore year as well as a member of the track and field team.[3] After his first two seasons at Glendale, Menifield earned a scholarship to Texas A&M University–Commerce where he graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. Menifield later played football professionally in both the CFL and Arena Football League.[4]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Menifield made his MMA debut at heavyweight against Zach Rosol on November 20, 2015 at Bellator 146.[5] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[6]

Menifield then moved to light heavyweight and won his next two fights via TKO and KO before fighting in Dana White's Contender Series.[7][8]

Dana White's Contender Series

Menifield faced UFC veteran Daniel Jolly on July 25, 2017 at Dana White's Contender Series 3.[9] He won the fight via TKO at the end of round one due to an eye injury but failed to secure a contract with the UFC.[10]

Menifield was provided with a second chance against Dashawn Boatwright on June 16, 2018 at Dana White's Contender Series 9.[11] He won via TKO with ground on pound strikes within the first 8 seconds of the first round and was awarded with a UFC contract.[12]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Menifield made his UFC debut on January 19, 2019 against Vinicius Moreira at UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw.[13] He won the fight via TKO with punches in round one.[14]

Menifield then faced Paul Craig on June 29, 2019 at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos.[15] He won the fight via KO with punches in round one.[16]

Menifield then faced Devin Clark on June 6, 2020 at UFC 250.[17] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[18]

Menifield was scheduled to face Ovince Saint Preux on August 22, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 15.[19] Just hours before the event was scheduled to begin, it was announced that the bout was canceled due to Saint Preux testing positive for COVID-19.[20] The bout eventually took place on September 5, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 176.[21] Menifield lost the fight via knockout in the second round.[22]

Menifield was expected to face William Knight on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 186.[23] However, the bout was postponed during the week leading up to the event after Menifield tested positive for COVID-19. The pairing was expected to be left intact and rescheduled for UFC 260.[24] This time Knight was removed due to COVID-19 protocols and was replaced by promotional newcomer Fabio Cherant.[25] At the weight-ins, Cherant weighted 206.5 pounds, half a pound over the non-title light heavyweight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and he was fined 20% of his individual purse, which went to his opponent Menifield.[26] Menifield won the fight via Von Flue choke in round one.[27]

Menifield faced Ed Herman on August 7, 2021 at UFC 265.[28] He won the fight via unanimous decision.[29]

Menifield was scheduled to face William Knight on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 186.[23] However, the bout was postponed during the week leading up to the event after Menifield testing positive for COVID-19. The pairing was expected to be left intact and rescheduled for UFC 260.[24] This time Knight was removed due to COVID-19 protocols.[25] The pair was rescheduled to December 4, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 31.[30] Menifield lost the fight via unanimous decision.[31]

Menifield was scheduled to face Nicolae Negumereanu on June 4, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 207.[32] However, Negumereanu was removed from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Askar Mozharov.[33] Menifield won the fight via technical knockout in the first round.[34]

Menifield faced Misha Cirkunov on October 15, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212.[35] He won the fight via knockout in round one.[36]

Menifield faced Jimmy Crute on February 12, 2023, at UFC 284.[37] After a point deduction in the third round due to Menifield grabbing the fence, the fight ended in a majority draw.[38]

Menifield then faced Crute in a rematch on July 8, 2023, at UFC 290.[39] He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the second round.[40]

Menifield is scheduled to face Dustin Jacoby on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296.[41]

Personal life

Menifield is married and has two sons; Alonzo Jr., and Xavier.[42]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
18 matches 14 wins 3 losses
By knockout 10 1
By submission 3 0
By decision 1 2
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 14–3–1 Jimmy Crute Submission (guillotine choke) UFC 290 July 8, 2023 2 1:55 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Draw 13–3–1 Jimmy Crute Draw (majority) UFC 284 February 12, 2023 3 5:00 Perth, Australia Menifield was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to grabbing the fence.
Win 13–3 Misha Cirkunov KO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo October 15, 2022 1 1:28 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–3 Askar Mozharov TKO (elbows) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik June 4, 2022 1 4:40 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 11–3 William Knight Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Font vs. Aldo December 4, 2021 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–2 Ed Herman Decision (unanimous) UFC 265 August 7, 2021 3 5:00 Houston, Texas, United States
Win 10–2 Fabio Cherant Submission (shoulder choke) UFC 260 March 27, 2021 1 1:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (206.5 lb) bout; Cherant missed weight.
Loss 9–2 Ovince Saint Preux KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Sakai September 5, 2020 2 4:07 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 9–1 Devin Clark Decision (unanimous) UFC 250 June 6, 2020 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 9–0 Paul Craig KO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos June 29, 2019 1 3:19 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States Performance of the Night.
Win 8–0 Vinicius Moreira TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Cejudo vs. Dillashaw January 19, 2019 1 3:56 Brooklyn, New York, United States
Win 7–0 Dashawn Boatwright TKO (punches) Dana White's Contender Series 9 June 12, 2018 1 0:08 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Heavyweight bout.
Win 6–0 Brice Ritani-Coe Submission (rear-naked choke) LFA 33 February 16, 2018 1 2:41 Dallas, Texas, United States
Win 5–0 José Otávio Lacerda TKO (punches) LFA 28 December 8, 2017 2 0:32 Dallas, Texas, United States
Win 4–0 Daniel Jolly TKO (eye injury) Dana White's Contender Series 3 July 25, 2017 1 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 3–0 Khadzhimurat Bestaev TKO (submission to punches) LFA 13 June 2, 2017 1 4:01 Burbank, California, United States
Win 2–0 Brock Combs KO (punches) RFA 43 September 9, 2016 2 0:22 Broomfield, Colorado, United States Light Heavyweight debut.
Win 1–0 Zach Rosol TKO (punches) Bellator 146 November 20, 2015 1 0:38 Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States Heavyweight debut.

See also

References
  1. "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-06-07.
  2. "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
  3. "Alonzo Menifield | SMWW Client". www.smwwagency.com. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  4. Al-Shatti, Shaun (2017-06-02). "From foster kid to football pro, Alonzo Menifield returns to LA as top 205-pound MMA prospect". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-07-27.
  5. Steve Juon (2015-11-02). "Bellator 146 fight card: Houston Alexander vs Guilherme Viana set for Spike TV showdown". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  6. Steve Juon (2015-11-20). "Bellator 146 'Kato vs Manhoef' results". MMA Mania. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  7. Shaun Al-Shatti (2017-06-02). "From foster kid to football pro, Alonzo Menifield returns to LA as top 205-pound MMA prospect". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  8. Shaun Al-Shatti (2017-06-02). "LFA 13 results: Alonzo Menifield stays unbeaten, Curtis Millender decisions Kevin Holland". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  9. Fernando Quiles Jr. (2017-07-23). "Alonzo Menifield Talks Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series Appearance". MMA News. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  10. Danny Segura (2017-07-25). "Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series 3 results". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  11. MMAWeekly.Com Staff (2018-06-11). "Dana White Tuesday Night Contender Series Season 2 Premieres Tuesday". MMA Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  12. MMAWeekly.Com Staff (2018-06-19). "Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Fight Highlights: Greg Hardy and Alonzo Menifield Stand Out". MMA Weekly. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  13. Nick Baldwin (2018-11-10). "Glover Teixeira vs. Ion Cutelaba set for UFC on ESPN+ in Brooklyn". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  14. Dan Doherty (2019-01-19). "UFC Brooklyn Results: Alonzo Menifield Runs Through Vinicius Moreira in Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
  15. Alexander K. Lee (2019-04-29). "Paul Craig vs. Alonzo Menifield added to UFC Minneapolis". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
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  17. MMA Junkie Staff (2020-03-03). "Devin Clark vs. Alonzo Menifield headed to UFC Oklahoma City". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
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  21. Tristen Critchfield (2020-08-22). "Ovince Saint Preux tests positive for COVID-19, bout vs. Alonzo Menifield postponed to Sept. 5". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
  22. Vreeland, Daniel (2020-09-05). "UFC Vegas 9 Results: Ovince Saint Preux Drops Menifield in Second Round". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-09-06.
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  24. Nolan King and Mike Bohn (2020-02-25). "Alonzo Menifield tests positive for COVID-19; UFC Fight Night 186 bout vs. William Knight postponed". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  25. Nolan King (2021-03-24). "William Knight out of UFC 260 due to COVID-19 protocols; Alonzo Menifield meets Fabio Cherant". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  26. Alexander K. Lee (2021-03-26). "UFC 260 weigh-in results: Stipe Miocic gives up almost 30 pounds to Francis Ngannou, two miss on first attempt". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
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  33. Behunin, Alex (2022-04-29). "UFC: Negumereanu Out, Askar Mozharov In Against Alonzo Menifield on June 4". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-04-29.
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  36. Anderson, Jay (2022-10-15). "UFC Vegas 62: Alonzo Menifield Overpowers Misha Cirkunov, Earns Quick Finish". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  37. Tristen Critchfield (2022-11-14). "Crute vs. Menifield, Ross vs. Rodrigues Added to UFC 284 Lineup". Sherdog.com. Retrieved 2022-11-14.
  38. Jay Anderson (2023-02-11). "UFC 284: Roller coaster ride, point deduction sees Jimmy Crute vs. Alonzo Menifield end in draw". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  39. Sherdog.com. "Jimmy Crute-Alonzo Menifield Rematch Booked for UFC 290". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  40. Dylan Rush (2023-07-08). "UFC 290: Alonzo Menifield Subs Jimmy Crute in Rematch". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  41. Shaun, Al-Shatti (2023-10-12). "Dustin Jacoby vs. Alonzo Menifield set for UFC 296". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  42. "6 things to know about Alonzo Menifield, the Dallas-area fighter who could be the next big thing in UFC". 28 March 2021.
  43. Dave Doyle and Matt Erickson (2019-06-30). "UFC on ESPN 3 bonuses: Of course Francis Ngannou earned 'Performance of the Night'". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2020-06-06.
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