Alonzo Menifield fought through gruesome thumb injury in UFC 331 upset

Alonzo Menifield showcased extraordinary toughness at UFC 331, defeating undefeated light heavyweight Iwo Baraniewski by split decision on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles while competing with a severely injured thumb that bled profusely during the bout.

Menifield (19-6) entered as a significant underdog against the Polish prospect Baraniewski, who came out aggressively and hurt Menifield early in round one. However, Menifield survived the onslaught and shifted momentum in round two, rocking Baraniewski in return. The cage-side physician was called to examine Menifield's visibly injured thumb at the end of the second round, but Menifield was cleared to continue despite heavy bleeding from the injury, which he revealed had occurred in the opening round.

Fighting through the third round with his mangled thumb, Menifield's superior pace and energy secured him the split decision victory with two judges scoring 29-28. Post-fight, Menifield explained the source of his resilience, referencing his difficult upbringing and his mother's financial struggles when he was young. "If this thumb, the whole wrist, all fingers would have broken, I would have kept going," he said in his octagon interview, noting that witnessing homelessness on the streets of Los Angeles reminded him of his mother's struggles through trash cans as a child. The victory marked Menifield's second consecutive upset win following his knockout of Mingyang Zhang in May, handing Baraniewski his first professional defeat.