Menifield silences hometown crowd with brutal first-round finish of Zhang Mingyang In UFC Macau co-main event. Veteran light heavyweight Alonzo Menifield silenced the hometown crowd after stopping Zhang Mingyang via first-round TKO.
The UFC returned to Asia this Saturday, May 30, 2026, with a stacked Fight Night card that took place at the Galaxy Arena in Cotai, Macau. The event was headlined by Song Yadong vs Deiveson Figueiredo, but one of the most dangerous fights on the card comes in the co-main event.
Zhang Mingyang entered this fight as one of the UFC’s most explosive young light heavyweights. The Chinese contender has built his reputation on first-round destruction, earning multiple knockout wins inside the opening round and establishing himself as a serious finisher in the division. However, his momentum was recently slowed when he suffered a second-round TKO loss to Johnny Walker in August 2025, a fight where he struggled badly with leg kicks and could not recover from the damage. Still, Zhang remains a dangerous early starter, with most of his wins coming by knockout and many of them ending in highlight-reel fashion.
Stepping into the cage with him was Alonzo Menifield, a UFC veteran known for his durability, experience, and heavy hands. Menifield has been competing at a high level in the light heavyweight division for years and remains a dangerous opponent due to his ability to survive early pressure and turn fights into physical wars.. His most recent setback came in November 2025 when he suffered a first-round knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir at UFC Qatar showing the risks that come with facing elite power punchers. Despite that, Menifield still carries legitimate knockout power and remains a live threat whenever the fight becomes a brawl.
The fight started aggressively with both men looking to establish their power early. Zhang attempted to pressure forward and find his range, but Menifield immediately met him in the center of the cage and refused to give ground. Instead of allowing the younger fighter to dictate the pace, Menifield opened up with heavy punches and forced wild exchanges. As the round progressed, Menifield’s pressure became the difference. He continued throwing hard combinations and backing Zhang toward the fence. The Chinese contender tried to respond with his own offense, but Menifield’s power shots repeatedly found the target. Late in the round, Menifield finally broke through. A crushing left hand landed clean and hurt Zhang badly, sensing the finish, Menifield swarmed with punches, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight with just 45 seconds remaining in the opening round. The official stoppage came at 4:15 of Round 1, giving Menifield a stunning TKO victory.
Afterwards, Menifield was asked if the plan was to stand with the dangerous striker, and he didn’t hesitate with his response. “Damn right that was the g*ddamn plan,” Menifield said. “I’m going to come in here and fight him. You think I’m going to run and wrestle? Hell no. I came here and I fought him and I got him.”
Coming into Macau, Zhang Mingyang was heavily favored and many expected another explosive finish from the Chinese knockout artist. Instead, it was Alonzo Menifield who delivered the statement performance. The victory marked a huge bounce-back performance for Menifield after his previous knockout loss to Volkan Oezdemir and spoiled Zhang’s attempt to rebound in front of a home crowd.
Check out UFC Macau results below.
Main Card
Song Yadong def. Deiveson Figueiredo via submission (guillotine choke) (R2, 4:42)
Alonzo Menifield def. Zhang Mingyang via TKO (strikes) (R1, 4:15)
Sergei Pavlovich def. Tallison Teixeira via KO (punches) (R1, 0:39)
Kai Asakura def. Cameron Smotherman via KO (punches) (R1, 1:50)
Jake Matthews def. Carlston Harris via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27 x2)
Alex Perez vs. Sumudaerji ends in a no-contest (accidental groin strike) (R2, 1:45)
Preliminary Card
Luis Felipe Dias def. Yi Sak Lee via TKO (strikes) (R1, 3:40)
José Souza def. Ding Meng via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Cody Haddon def. Aoriqileng via TKO (strikes) (R2, 2:11)
Rei Tsuruya def. Luis Gurule via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1, 3:19)
Angela Hill def. Xiong Jing Nan via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)
Rodrigo Vera def. Zhu Kangjie via KO (punches) (R1, 1:50)
Jaqueline Amorim def. Loma Lookboonmee via submission (armbar) (R1, 4:04)
