What happened to Alonzo Menifield? 38-year-old boxing superstar overcomes all odds against Iwo Baraniewski despite scary thumb injury

Alonzo Menifield beats Iwo Baraniewski despite injury. Image via: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Alonzo Menifield was supposed to be the next name on Iwo Baraniewski's knockout list. The 38-year-old had other plans on Saturday night at UFC 331, and a hand injury that made an entire arena groan did not change them.The light heavyweight bout opened the main card at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Baraniewski, an undefeated Polish fighter with a habit of finishing early, had never needed the judges before. Menifield, a veteran with a dozen UFC wins, changed that and collected the win.

Alonzo Menifield and Iwo Baraniewski met on Saturday, September 19, and the first round belonged to the Polish fighter. Baraniewski, riding a run of first-round knockouts, stunned Menifield more than once with his right hook and put the 38-year-old on the mat. Menifield gave up his back but survived, then found his footing in a late scramble, according to LowKick MMA's round-by-round account.Round two followed a similar script. Menifield started fast and landed heavy shots. Baraniewski kept walking forward anyway and found the cleaner combinations.

Before round three, the doctor took a look at Menifield's hand. MMA Junkie described a deep cut, and the fight went on. The veteran opened the final round by stunning Baraniewski, but both men were tired by then.

They spent long stretches in the clinch until the referee split them up. After the restart, Baraniewski pushed the pace and landed the harder strikes until the bell.The scorecards told a tight story. Two judges gave it 29-28 to Menifield, and one went 28-29 the other way. It was Baraniewski's first career loss and his first trip to a decision, which left the Polish fighter at 9-1.

The full extent of the damage only came out after the decision was read. During the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Menifield held the thumb up to the camera. The Big Lead reported that a bone was sticking through, and MMA Junkie said the crowd let out a loud groan.The reports do not agree on when it happened. The Big Lead placed the injury in the first round, while MMA Junkie pointed to the doctor's check ahead of round three. LowKick MMA called it a broken thumb and said Menifield fought through it in the third.Fans did not need long to react. Barstool Sports posted, "Alonzo Menifield’s thumb is backwards and he’s still letting it fly" (@barstoolsports). Championship Rounds wrote, "ALONZO MENIFIELD'S THUMB HAS A BONE STICKING OUT" (@ChampRDS).The Big Lead reported that Menifield will not be back in action anytime soon, and none of the three reports give a recovery timeline. The 38-year-old is now 19-6-1 with 11 knockouts and has won two straight.