Alonzo Menifield Settles In Macau Before Zhang Mingyang Bout
Alonzo Menifield said he is acclimated in Macau, China, after taking a few days to adjust to the time difference, and he heads into Saturday’s co-main event against Zhang Mingyang ready to fight. The UFC light heavyweight said he now feels settled for UFC Macau after a trip that required a short adjustment period.
Menifield’s return to the spotlight comes with a 17-6-1 record, and his two-fight win streak was snapped by Volkan Oezdemir in his last fight. He now gets Zhang in a co-main event matchup that sends both men in from losses.
Menifield’s read on Zhang Mingyang
Menifield described Zhang as fierce and aggressive, but he also framed the matchup as a technical problem. “I think he’s fierce, aggressive, and I want to match it,” he said at Wednesday’s UFC Macau media day.
He added that Zhang is a counter striker who stays in pockets or outside, and that he is looking at how to answer that style without overcommitting. “a fight is a fight. We move forward. So I’m looking at what he’s good at, which is countering, and seeing how he stays in pockets, or outside.”
Pat Barry back in camp
Menifield said he is training with Pat Barry again after bouncing between camps, a change that puts him back with a familiar coach as the fight week pressure builds. That leaves Saturday’s bout as more than just another booking; it is a chance to see whether the adjusted routine carries over under the lights in Macau.
He said Zhang’s leg kick TKO loss does not narrow the ways the fight can turn. “I think opportunity is everywhere, not just leg kicks. So I’m excited about Saturday,” Menifield said.
Macau sets the tone
The time shift was the first obstacle, and Menifield said it took a few days to get past it before he felt comfortable in Macau. Once that settled, his outlook did not change. “I guess so. I’ve been here a long time, I think that’s a blessing. With that said, every fight is dangerous. I don’t put me above him. I put me right there. He’s in the grinder, I’m in the grinder. That’s my mindset.”
That mindset carries into a co-main event with a clear edge in urgency: Menifield needs a clean response after the Oezdemir loss, and Zhang arrives with the same kind of pressure. Menifield put the matchup plainly: “He comes out, doing him, I catch him. He goes away. Other than that, if he doesn’t go away, let’s put on a hell of a show. That’s it.”
