A UFC Atlanta fighter announced himself as one of the promotion’s hardest-hitters with a bonus-winning knockout in 2019.
On the heels of two bantamweight title fights at UFC 316, attention turns to the welterweight division in Atlanta on Saturday.
Headlining the first of two UFC Fight Nights in June is a key clash between Kamaru Usman and Joaquin Buckley, as the former champion looks to record his first win since 2021.
The card also features two other ex-titleholders in Rose Namajunas and Cody Garbrandt, as well as a number of notable names with extensive Octagon reels.
And two fighters set to share the June 14 card produced one of the most brutal highlights from the group of UFC Atlanta fighters.
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Alonzo Menifield made Paul Craig pay for his telegraphed spinning attacks with brutal UFC KO
Both Alonzo Menifield and Paul Craig will make the walk at State Farm Arena on Saturday, with ‘Atomic’ opening the main card against Oumar Sy and ‘Bearjew’ closing the prelims versus Rodolfo Bellato.
The pair have their own history, having shared the cage back in 2019. That was three fights removed from Craig’s last-second submission win against Magomed Ankalaev, which remains the current UFC light heavyweight champion’s only career defeat.
Menifield, meanwhile, was 1-0 in the UFC after earning a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series. If his debut win hadn’t already marked him as one to watch, his second Octagon appearance certainly did.
‘Atomic’ lived up to his nickname by knocking Craig out in just over three minutes. The end came when the Scottish fighter tried to land a second consecutive spinning wheel kick.
The telegraphed move was countered by Menifield, who bundled Craig to the ground before landing some devastating ground and pound, which included multiple shots to his already unconscious opponent.
Alonzo Menifield’s 13 UFC fights since starching Paul Craig
While Menifield has struggled with consistency at times in the years since, his reputation as one of the UFC’s most feared knockout artists has not waned.
‘Atomic’ has won seven of his 13 fights since beating Craig, a run that has included a further two of his opponents being sent to the shadow realm – the most notable being a vicious KO against Misha Cirkunov in 2022.
Menifield has, however, also been on the receiving end of such a brutal finish – more than once.
He was stopped in just 12 seconds by Carlos Ulberg in May 2024 before being slept by Azamat Murzakanov months later.
| Result | Opponent | Method |
| Win | Julius Walker | Decision |
| Loss | Azamat Murzakanov | KO |
| Loss | Carlos Ulberg | KO |
| Win | Dustin Jacoby | Decision |
| Win | Jimmy Crute | Submission |
| Draw | Jimmy Crute | Decision |
| Win | Misha Cirkunov | KO |
| Win | Askar Mozharov | TKO |
| Loss | William Knight | Decision |
| Win | Ed Herman | Decision |
| Win | Fabio Cherant | Submission |
| Loss | Ovince Saint Preux | KO |
| Loss | Devin Clark | Decision |
Having bounced back from his violent two-fight skid with a split decision over Julius Walker in February, Menifield will hope to get back to his devastating KO ways at the expense of the undefeated Sy at UFC Atlanta.