Menifield notches 1st submission, 6th MMA win
Not much went wrong for Alonzo Menifield on Friday night.
At least until after his mixed martial arts bout when he came up short on his celebratory back flip.
Other than that, it was pretty much a flawless night for the former Glendale Community College linebacker, who came away unscathed and with his MMA record still perfect after choking out Brice Ritani-Coe at 2:41 of the first round of their light heavyweight clash in Dallas at Legacy Fighting Alliance 33 in a bout televised live on AXS TV.
Having won all five of his previous fights via knockout, Menifield improved to 6-0 with a rear-naked choke of Ritani-Coe (4-5, one no-contest), who had claimed all four of his victories via KO.
“He’s a good boxer, as we all know, or I know, so I wanted to switch it up and try my other game,” Menifield said in the postfight in-cage interview.
The 30-year-old Menifield, a Texas native, has never gone past the second round and has built a reputation for exciting fights and a fan-friendly stand-up game. However, Friday showcased another element with his grappling game.
Seconds into the bout, Menifield threw a left jab and immediately shot for a takedown behind the jab, pressed Coe against the cage and completed the takedown.
“He threw a left and I was like, ‘Go!’ and I went in,” Menifield said.
Menifield landed some moderate ground strikes from half-guard before transitioning to side control. It appeared he was looking for a side-choke, but it never materialized. Menifield eventually took Coe’s back and went for a rear-naked choke and got the tapout.
Seconds later, he went for a standing back flip and came down on his shins. Still, it didn’t diminish another highlight-reel night for the burgeoning 205-pound prospect.
Twitter: @TCNGrantGordon
