Alonzo Menifield entered UFC 331 as a clear underdog against Iwo Baraniewski, but he pulled off a razor-close split-decision victory. The Texas-based light heavyweight fighter had to grind his way through three rounds to hand the Polish prospect his first professional MMA loss, doing so while suffering one of the most gruesome injuries of his career.
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During the fight, ‘Atomic’ injured his thumb so severely that the bone protruded through the skin and the upper part of his thumb was bent all the way back. As a result, the UFC immediately sent him to the hospital after the fight.
“Alonzo Menifield has been transported to the hospital and won’t be speaking with the media #UFC331,” MMA Fighting reporter Jose Youngs confirmed on X.
Given the severity of the injury, it was no surprise that the 19-6 fighter skipped the post-fight press conference. The 38-year-old could require surgery to repair the damage, which could keep him sidelined for several months. The California State Athletic Commission’s medical suspension list should eventually provide more clarity on his recovery timeline.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time Alonzo Menifield has dealt with a serious injury inside the Octagon.
Alonzo Menifield has been transported to the hospital and won't be speaking wit hthe media #UFC331
Last year, Alonzo Menifield suffered a deep cut on his foot against Julius Walker at UFC Seattle. The wound bled heavily, but doctors were able to treat it with stitches. His UFC 331 injury, however, appears considerably more severe and could require a different kind of treatment, possibly surgery, as Joe Rogan remarked.
The ghastly injury was already visible when cageside doctors examined Menifield as the third round was about to begin. They ultimately cleared him to continue, while Joe Rogan also noticed the damage during the broadcast.
Menifield later revealed during his Octagon interview that the injury had actually occurred in the opening round. Even so, he insisted that nothing would have convinced him to stop fighting.
“If this thumb, the whole wrist, all fingers would have broken, I would have kept going,” Menifield said in his post-fight Octagon interview. “Because as I walk the streets of L.A., I see those homeless people and I got to tell you, that’s my mom. I see my mom digging through the trash as she was a little kid. As I was a little kid, I have seen her in trash cans, and it broke my heart. So I always wanted to be tough. So where I come from, this is my backbone.”
Menifield is certainly not the only UFC fighter to compete through a serious injury. Alexander Volkanovski suffered a thumb injury during his rematch with Max Holloway at UFC 276, although it was nowhere near as severe.
Jon Jones also suffered a gruesome injury during his first-round finish of Chael Sonnen at UFC 159. ‘Bones’ suffered a deep cut on his toe, with the bone reportedly exposed and separated from his toe.
Unlike Menifield, Jones was taken to the hospital after the fight to stop the bleeding and protect the exposed bone.
Following Alonzo Menifield’s injury at UFC 331, UFC CEO Dana White also offered fans a closer look at the damage.
Dana White reacts after UFC 331 fighter suffers nasty injury
The severity of Alonzo Menifield’s injury is a big reason fans praised him for his performance, even though many didn’t necessarily agree with the result of his fight. That appreciation grew even more when UFC CEO Dana White revealed the full extent of the damage.
Taking to Instagram, White shared a picture of Menifield’s injury. The thumb appeared to be hanging off the bone, creating an image straight out of a slasher movie.
“Fight night,” the UFC CEO wrote in the caption.
Before the head honcho, Joe Rogan had drawn attention to the injury during the UFC 331 broadcast, but the picture gave it even more visibility. Still, it isn’t unusual for White to share a fighter’s injury update. In fact, the 57-year-old has posted many of them over the years.
Most notably, after former UFC bantamweight title challenger Irene Aldana, who has recently retired from the sport, went to war with Norma Dumont at UFC 306 at the Sphere, White shared a photo of Aldana’s face covered in lacerations on social media.
For now, Alonzo Menifield’s next step will be recovery. The extent of the thumb injury and the treatment he receives should determine how long he remains away from the Octagon.
After earning one of the toughest wins of his UFC career, ‘Atomic’ will now have to focus on getting healthy before he can make his return.