UFC News & FeaturesUFC 296 Prelims: Punching Power Spurs Alonzo Menifield Past Dustin Jacoby
Alonzo
Menifield turned several explosive moments of offensive into
one of his most significant victories to date in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight division.
The Saekson Muay Thai product knocked down Dustin Jacoby twice with left hooks and laid claim to a unanimous decision over the former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder in the featured UFC 296 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Menifield (15-3-1, 8-3-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from the judges.
Jacoby (19-7-1, 7-5-1 UFC) performed well in defeat and operated
behind a punishing jab. However, he had no answer for Menifield’s
ability to turn the tide with a single punch. The 2018 Dana White’s
Contender Series graduate floored Jacoby with a left hook in the
second and did so again the third. Menifield pursued the finish on
both occasions, and though he came away empty-handed, he piled up
the points when he had the chance.
In the preliminary co-feature, Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa stole the show with a “Fight of the Year” contender at 135 pounds. Neither woman walked away unscathed, as Aldana (15-7, 8-5 UFC) exited the cage with a unanimous decision—all three judges scored it 29-28—over the Parana Vale Tudo rep following a grueling, three-round women’s bantamweight battle.
Aldana, 35, has won eight of her past 11 bouts.
Meanwhile, Cody Garbrandt buried former Ring of Combat champion Brian Kelleher with punches in the first round of their bantamweight clash. In his first appearance since June 25, 2022, Kelleher (24-15, 8-8 UFC) checked out 3:42 into Round 1.
Speed and precision carried Garbrandt (14-5, 9-5 UFC). He opened a cut near Kelleher’s left eye with an elbow strike on the break, then picked up the pace with multi-punch flurries. Garbrandt dazed the Long Island MMA product with a lightning-quick right in close quarters, pursued him across the cage and flattened him with another right hook. No follow-up shots were required.
It was the eight first-round finish of Garbrandt’s career.
Further down the bill, ex-KSW titleholder Ariane Lipski disposed of Casey O’Neill with an armbar in the second round of their women’s flyweight tilt. Finished for the first time as a pro, O’Neill (9-2, 4-2 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 78 seconds into Round 2.
Lipski (17-8, 6-5 UFC) simply operated on another level. She spent much of the first round establishing her superiority in all phases, as she hammered O’Neill with multi-punch bursts, knees and kicks to the body, legs and head. Lipski staggered the Xtreme Couture representative with a counter right hook in the middle stanza, denied an attempted takedown and rolled into top position, at which point she cut loose with a sustained volley of punches. O’Neill kept her head above water initially but only prolonged the inevitable. Lipski made a pass at a rear-naked choke, then transitioned to the fight-ending armbar.
The 29-year-old Lipski has rattled off three straight wins.
Elsewhere, former Fight Nights Global champion Tagir Ulanbekov took care of Cody Durden with a face crank in the second round of their flyweight encounter. Ulanbekov (15-2, 4-1 UFC) brought it to a close 4:25 into Round 2, winning for the seventh time in eight outings.
Durden (16-5-1, 5-3-1 UFC) scored with low kicks and a few overhand rights but could not keep the well-rounded American Kickboxing Academy standout at bay. Ulanbekov executed takedowns in both rounds, navigated the Covington, Georgia, native’s elbow-infested guard and made his way to the back with body triangles. After several rear-naked choke attempts, he settled on a face crank, tightened his squeeze and prompted the tapout.
The loss closed the book on Durden’s run of four consecutive victories.
Deeper into the undercard, Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili cut down onetime Jungle Fight titleholder Lucas Almeida with punches in the first round of their featherweight confrontation. Fili (23-10, 11-9 UFC) drew the curtain 3:32 into Round 1, nailing down his first finish in more than four years.
Almeida (14-3, 1-2 UFC) tested the waters with a few leg kicks but never managed to get in gear. Fili closed the distance without fear and felled the 32-year-old Team Kioshi rep with a crushing counter right hook. Unanswered punches, elbows and hammerfists followed, forcing referee Jason Herzog to intervene.
Fili has won two of his past three bouts.
Finally, KHK MMA Team export Shamil Gaziev stayed undefeated in a near-flawless promotional debut, as he put away former Oktagon MMA champion Martin Buday with punches in the second round of their heavyweight pairing. Buday (13-2, 4-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 56 seconds into Round 2, his 12-fight winning streak at an end.
Gaziev (12-0, 1-0 UFC) marched forward behind thudding right hands, a crisp jab and a few close-range knee strikes. The 2023 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate opened a serious cut on Buday’s left eyelid and stepped up his aggression once blood was in the water. Gaziev sprawled on a takedown late in the first round and assaulted his counterpart with ground-and-pound from half guard, zapping whatever self-belief the Slovakian may have had left. Buday’s situation only deteriorated from there. Gaziev had him ducking for cover with a chopping elbow strike early in the middle stanza, gave chase with unanswered punches and prompted a merciful standing stoppage.
The setback was Buday’s first since Oct. 14, 2017.
The Saekson Muay Thai product knocked down Dustin Jacoby twice with left hooks and laid claim to a unanimous decision over the former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder in the featured UFC 296 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Menifield (15-3-1, 8-3-1 UFC) swept the scorecards with matching 29-28 marks from the judges.
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In the preliminary co-feature, Irene Aldana and Karol Rosa stole the show with a “Fight of the Year” contender at 135 pounds. Neither woman walked away unscathed, as Aldana (15-7, 8-5 UFC) exited the cage with a unanimous decision—all three judges scored it 29-28—over the Parana Vale Tudo rep following a grueling, three-round women’s bantamweight battle.
Rosa (17-6, 6-3 UFC) connected with one leg kick after another,
many of them to the inner thigh, and made a concerted effort to
tear down her opponent’s base. Aldana refused to give in to the
pain. She pressed forward behind clean, accurate punches and
eventually wore down Rosa through sheer relentlessness. Left hooks
and right uppercuts were Aldana’s weapons of choice, and they took
a visible toll. By the time it was over, Rosa had sustained
significant damage to her left eye and was bleeding from multiple
cuts. Aldana hit the accelerator in Round 3, where she twice forced
her adversary to retreat with digging left hooks to the liver.
Aldana, 35, has won eight of her past 11 bouts.
Meanwhile, Cody Garbrandt buried former Ring of Combat champion Brian Kelleher with punches in the first round of their bantamweight clash. In his first appearance since June 25, 2022, Kelleher (24-15, 8-8 UFC) checked out 3:42 into Round 1.
Speed and precision carried Garbrandt (14-5, 9-5 UFC). He opened a cut near Kelleher’s left eye with an elbow strike on the break, then picked up the pace with multi-punch flurries. Garbrandt dazed the Long Island MMA product with a lightning-quick right in close quarters, pursued him across the cage and flattened him with another right hook. No follow-up shots were required.
It was the eight first-round finish of Garbrandt’s career.
Further down the bill, ex-KSW titleholder Ariane Lipski disposed of Casey O’Neill with an armbar in the second round of their women’s flyweight tilt. Finished for the first time as a pro, O’Neill (9-2, 4-2 UFC) raised the white flag of surrender 78 seconds into Round 2.
Lipski (17-8, 6-5 UFC) simply operated on another level. She spent much of the first round establishing her superiority in all phases, as she hammered O’Neill with multi-punch bursts, knees and kicks to the body, legs and head. Lipski staggered the Xtreme Couture representative with a counter right hook in the middle stanza, denied an attempted takedown and rolled into top position, at which point she cut loose with a sustained volley of punches. O’Neill kept her head above water initially but only prolonged the inevitable. Lipski made a pass at a rear-naked choke, then transitioned to the fight-ending armbar.
The 29-year-old Lipski has rattled off three straight wins.
Related » UFC 296 Round-by-Round Scoring
Elsewhere, former Fight Nights Global champion Tagir Ulanbekov took care of Cody Durden with a face crank in the second round of their flyweight encounter. Ulanbekov (15-2, 4-1 UFC) brought it to a close 4:25 into Round 2, winning for the seventh time in eight outings.
Durden (16-5-1, 5-3-1 UFC) scored with low kicks and a few overhand rights but could not keep the well-rounded American Kickboxing Academy standout at bay. Ulanbekov executed takedowns in both rounds, navigated the Covington, Georgia, native’s elbow-infested guard and made his way to the back with body triangles. After several rear-naked choke attempts, he settled on a face crank, tightened his squeeze and prompted the tapout.
The loss closed the book on Durden’s run of four consecutive victories.
Deeper into the undercard, Team Alpha Male’s Andre Fili cut down onetime Jungle Fight titleholder Lucas Almeida with punches in the first round of their featherweight confrontation. Fili (23-10, 11-9 UFC) drew the curtain 3:32 into Round 1, nailing down his first finish in more than four years.
Almeida (14-3, 1-2 UFC) tested the waters with a few leg kicks but never managed to get in gear. Fili closed the distance without fear and felled the 32-year-old Team Kioshi rep with a crushing counter right hook. Unanswered punches, elbows and hammerfists followed, forcing referee Jason Herzog to intervene.
Fili has won two of his past three bouts.
Finally, KHK MMA Team export Shamil Gaziev stayed undefeated in a near-flawless promotional debut, as he put away former Oktagon MMA champion Martin Buday with punches in the second round of their heavyweight pairing. Buday (13-2, 4-1 UFC) succumbed to blows 56 seconds into Round 2, his 12-fight winning streak at an end.
Gaziev (12-0, 1-0 UFC) marched forward behind thudding right hands, a crisp jab and a few close-range knee strikes. The 2023 Dana White’s Contender Series graduate opened a serious cut on Buday’s left eyelid and stepped up his aggression once blood was in the water. Gaziev sprawled on a takedown late in the first round and assaulted his counterpart with ground-and-pound from half guard, zapping whatever self-belief the Slovakian may have had left. Buday’s situation only deteriorated from there. Gaziev had him ducking for cover with a chopping elbow strike early in the middle stanza, gave chase with unanswered punches and prompted a merciful standing stoppage.
The setback was Buday’s first since Oct. 14, 2017.
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