Alonzo Menifield made a statement in the UFC Macau co-main event, knocking out Zhang Mingyang in the first round at Galaxy Arena.
Menifield closed the show at the 4:15 mark of Round 1, securing a knockout that moved his overall record to 18-7-1 and his UFC mark to 11-6-1. The bout was billed as a clash of power punchers, and it ended quickly.
“Damn right that was the g*ddamn plan,” Menifield said afterward. “I’m going to come in here and fight him. You think I’m going to run and wrestle? Hell no. I came here and I fought him and I got him.”
Zhang entered the fight known for his own first-round knockouts and was looking to rebound after a knockout loss to Johnny Walker in the UFC Shanghai main event in August. Instead, he has now dropped consecutive high-profile fights in China after beginning his UFC run 3-0.
Menifield, who came into Macau off a knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Qatar in November, returns to the win column with another early finish on his record.
