Light heavyweights Alonzo Menifield and Oumar Sy kicked off the UFC Atlanta main card at the State Farm Arena on Saturday.
Menifield was entering the night off a victory over Julius Walker; Sy was a perfect 11-0 in his professional career.
Both men were threats with their power, and showed it early during Saturday’s contest, with Menifield coming close to landing on more than one occasion. Sy worked his jab, but found himself backed up to the fence later in the round. The next exchange, however, had Menifield suffering an eye poke, leading to the ref halting the action to give him time to recover. They’d finish out the round, which saw nary a takedown attempt throughout.
Round two opened with Menifield outside, and now, Sy opted to change levels and pursue a takedown. Menifield showed some decent balance and worked a whizzer, ultimately fighting off the attempt and attacking with a guillotine, though not for long. Even with Sy unable to take Menfield down, he ate a ton of time off the clock while controlling. And, with just over a minute remaining, Sy finally did take Alonzo Menifield down, though Menifield did not stay down long.
Menifield had his back to the cage early in the third round, with Sy no doubt looking to pick up where he’d left off. Sy loaded up on a right hand, but whiffed. Despite Sy’s takedown success in round two, a bit of a striking battle ensued, though low volume, and mostly single strikes were exchanged.
Sy’s decision not to fall back on his wrestling more ultimately cost him, with Alonzo Menifield earning the unanimous decision win, two rounds to one. Handing Sy his first loss as a pro as a result.
Official Result: Alonzo Menifield def. Oumar Sy by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
