Alonzo Menifield (born October 18, 1987) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

currently competing in the

Light Heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). A professional since 2015, he has formerly fought in Bellator and the

Legacy Fighting Alliance Legacy Fighting Alliance is an American mixed martial arts promotion, created as a result of the ''Legacy Fighting Championship'' and ''Resurrection Fighting Alliance'' merger in early 2017. History Resurrection Fighting Alliance On October 11, ...

Background

Menifield was born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the wo ...

. 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) Glendale Community College (GCC) is a public community college in Glendale, California. History The college was founded as Glendale Junior College in 1927, to serve the Glendale Union High School District which at the time included La Cr ...

, where he starred as primarily a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

and was an Honorable Mention All-American his sophomore year as well as a member of the track and field team. After his first two seasons at Glendale, Menifield earned a scholarship to

Texas A&M University–Commerce Texas A&M University–Commerce is a public university in Commerce, Texas. With an enrollment of over 12,000 students as of fall 2017, the university is the third-largest institution in the Texas A&M University System. Founded in 1889, the inst ...

where he graduated with a degree in Criminal Justice. Menifield later played football professionally in both the CFL and

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 season, making it the third longest-running professional football league in ...

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Menifield made his MMA debut at

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

against Zach Rosol on November 20, 2015 at Bellator 146. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Menifield then moved to

light heavyweight Light heavyweight, also referred to as junior cruiserweight or light cruiserweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the division is above and up to , falling between super middleweight and cruis ...

and won his next two fights via TKO and KO before fighting in

Dana White's Contender Series Dana White's Contender Series, formerly named Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series, is an American mixed martial arts promotion. In May 2017, the UFC announced White would hold the competition weekly on UFC Fight Pass (It has since been move ...

Dana White's Contender Series

Menifield faced UFC veteran Daniel Jolly on July 25, 2017 at Dana White's Contender Series 3. 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. Menifield was provided with a second chance against Dashawn Boatwright on June 16, 2018 at Dana White's Contender Series 9. 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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

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

Paul Craig Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

on June 29, 2019 at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. dos Santos. He won the fight via KO with punches in round one. Menifield then faced Devin Clark on June 6, 2020 at UFC 250. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Menifield was scheduled to face

Ovince Saint Preux Ovince Saint Preux (born April 8, 1983) is a Haitian-American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the light heavyweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2008, Saint Preux has also formerly competed for Strikef ...

on August 22, 2020 at UFC on ESPN 15. 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. The bout eventually took place on September 5, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 176. Menifield lost the fight via knockout in the second round. Menifield was expected to face William Knight on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 186. 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 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. This time Knight was removed due to COVID-19 protocols and was replaced by promotional newcomer Fabio Cherant. 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. Menifield won the fight via

Von Flue choke A chokehold, choke, stranglehold or, in Judo, shime-waza ( ja, 絞技, translation=constriction technique) is a general term for a grappling hold that critically reduces or prevents either air (choking)''The New Oxford Dictionary of English'' ( ...

in round one. Menifield faced Ed Herman on August 7, 2021 at

UFC 265 ''UFC 265: Lewis vs. Gane'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on August 7, 2021, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, United States. Background An interim UFC Heavyweight Championshi ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Menifield was scheduled to face William Knight on February 27, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 186. 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

. This time Knight was removed due to COVID-19 protocols. The pair was rescheduled to December 4, 2021 at UFC on ESPN 31. Menifield lost the fight via unanimous decision. Menifield was scheduled to face Nicolae Negumereanu on June 4, 2022, at

UFC Fight Night 207 ''UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 207'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 65'' or ''UFC Vegas 56'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on June 4, 2022, at the ...

. However, Negumereanu was removed from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by Askar Mozharov. Menifield won the fight via technical knockout in the first round. Menifield faced Misha Cirkunov on October 15, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 212. He won the fight via knockout in round one. Menifield is scheduled to face Jimmy Crute on February 12, 2023, at

UFC 284 ''UFC 284: Makhachev vs. Volkanovski'' is an upcoming mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that will take place on February 12, 2023, at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. Background The event will mark the promot ...

Personal life

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

Championships and accomplishments

** Performance of the Night (One Time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Misha Cirkunov , KO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Grasso vs. Araújo , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

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Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Brice Ritani-Coe , Submission (rear-naked choke) , LFA 33 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , José Otávio Lacerda , TKO (punches) , LFA 28 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:32 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Daniel Jolly , TKO (eye injury) , Dana White's Contender Series 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (3 ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Menifield, Alonzo 1987 births Living people Light heavyweight mixed martial artists Sportspeople from Dallas Mixed martial artists from Texas American male mixed martial artists Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters