Alonzo Menifield got back in the win column on Saturday night at UFC 260 while joining a very exclusive club.
Coming off back-to-back losses in his last two fights, Menifield needed just 1:11 to tap out late notice opponent Fabio Cherant with a Von Flue choke in the opening round. He is just the fourth fighter in UFC history to successfully apply that submission, and he now holds the record for the fastest Von Flue choke finish inside the octagon.
“It’s an emotional ride for me,” Menifield said after getting his hand raised. “I’m glad I got this win. I really needed it.
“When he held onto the guillotine and I slowly went into it, I said damn, he still has his arm up. So I said let me go ahead and do that [Ovince Saint Preux].”
Whether you call it the Von Flue or the Von Preux, @alonzomenifield just locked it up for the finish
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 28, 2021
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While Menifield is well known for his blistering knockouts, he wasted no time closing the distance on Cherant as soon as the fight got started. The former LFA light heavyweight champion then looked for a guillotine choke as a deterrent.
Unfortunately for him, Cherant held onto that submission after Menifield dumped him to the ground, and it didn’t take the Contender Series veteran long to realize he was in a perfect position to latch onto the Von Flue Choke.
After locking down Cherant’s arm, Menifield pressed his shoulder down with all of his weight until he finally got the tap.
Still considered a top prospect at 205 pounds, Menifield got a much-needed win at UFC 260 while also picking up his first submission win since joining the promotion in 2018.