UFC Minneapolis | Alonzo Menifield hopes to kickstart busy run with KO of Paul Craig

Alonzo Menifield did not want to be on the UFC Minneapolis card on Saturday. He was hoping to fight sooner. The light heavyweight last fought back in January, when he knocked out Vinicius Moreira at UFC Brooklyn. Since then, he has been wanting to fight, but this was the first offer that came.

Now, the 31-year-old is looking to go 2-0 in the UFC and he believes he knows exactly how it will happen.

“Paul is a lot more polished in striking than my last opponent, so it may take longer to find his chin,” Menifield told BJPENN.com “But, my intentions are to definitely put him down just like the last opponent. I’m going for a finish. He likes to grapple. If he falls that will be great, if not it will be a long night for him. My intention is to knock him down and he won’t get up.”

If Menifield does beat Craig, it may very well be a redemption win for his gym Fortis MMA, given Craig beat Menifield’s teammate and friend, Kennedy Nzechukwu, back in March.

“In a way I guess, but not really,” he said. “Getting a W would make it look like revenge. Kennedy was beating him up and Craig was just able to get that late submission.” 

With a win over the Scotland-native, Alonzo Menifield will get the so-called ‘revenge’ for his gym and get him one step closer to the rankings. But, his real goal is to get another finish, get another fight soon and fight two more times this year and have a number beside his name at years end.

“It should put me near the rankings. I believe I still have a lot to prove in the 205-pound division. It will just move me up the ladder,” he said. “I would love to be in the top-10 with the top dogs by the end of the year. Just starting to make myself a known name.”

Alonzo Menifield has been training and preparing for a fight since January and is confident in his skills. He’s 8-0 as a pro and expects that to go to 9-0 on Saturday night.

Who do you think wins the fight between Alonzo Menifield and Paul Craig?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 6/26/2019.