Sports Briefs: Former Glendale Community College linebacker lines up for contender spot
Menifield fighting for possible UFC slot
With a hard-hitting, action-packed stand-up style, Alonzo Menifield has put himself within striking distance of an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract.
Menifield, a former All-American linebacker on the Glendale Community College football team, will toe the line with Daniel Jolly in a three-round light heavyweight bout Tuesday night at The Ultimate Fighter Gym in Las Vegas at “Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series 3,” which streams live on UFC Fight Pass.
The third installment of an eight-week fight series in which White, the UFC president, searches for prospects will feature another five-fight card. Over the first two weeks, three of the 10 winners have been granted UFC contracts.
Menifield (3-0) draws an opponent in Jolly (5-2), who is actually a UFC veteran. The 32-year-old has lost his last two bouts, both under the UFC umbrella and both via first-round knockout.
In contrast, Menifield, 29, has won all of his bouts inside the distance with his last win on June 2 in Burbank as part of the Legacy Fighting Alliance 13 card in which he downed Khadzhimurat Bestaev via a first-round submission to strikes.
Menifield has tallied just 10 minutes and 1 second of total cage time across his first three bouts.
Crescenta Valley stands out out at first race
The Crescenta Valley High cross-country team certainly made an impact at Wednesday’s first Crescenta Valley Summer Series race at Crescenta Valley Park.
The Falcons ran several competitors in both the 2-kilometer and 3-mile races and took five of the overall six top spots.
Reigning All-Area Boys’ Cross-Country Runner of the Year Colin FitzGerald of Crescenta Valley utilized the home-course advantage with a victory in the 3-mile race in a time of 15 minutes, 57 seconds.
FitzGerald was one of three Falcons to snatch the top three positions with Artin Allahverdian (16:36) and Manan Vats (16:41) following close behind.
CIF Southern Section Division V cross-country champion Evan Patinelli of Flintridge Prep placed fourth in 16:43, while Hoover’s Omar Abdelrahim was his school’s top finisher, taking 18th (20:03).
In the earlier 2-kilometer race, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame’s Justin Smith was victorious in 6:59. Crescenta Valley’s Grant Lauterback (7:12) and FitzGerald (7:13) took second and third, respectively.
NFL’s Trovon Reed to conduct camp at Hoover
Hoover High, in association with Echelon Sports Media, will hold the Back II Back Youth Pro Football Camp from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Hoover High’s football field, 651 Glenwood Road, Glendale.
The event will be run by Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Trovon Reed and will cover skills, fundamentals, nutrition and more.
To register, go to www.trovonreedcamphhhs.eventbrite.com.