'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
#4. Alonzo Menifield - UFC light heavyweight
This is an important card for knockout artist Alonzo Menifield. The American broke onto the UFC scene with an eight-second KO win on Dana White’s Contender Series.
Trending
In his first two UFC fights, Vinicius Moreira and Paul Craig fell to Menifield’s power. Heading into UFC 250, the 33-year-old was 9-0 with eight knockouts and one submission. Menifield’s weakness in the later rounds became evident when Devin Clark handed him his first loss.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
A knockout defeat to Ovince Saint Preux last year left Menifield needing a win against promotional newcomer Fabio Cherant at UFC 260 to get his career back on track. In about as convincing a fashion as he could have, the 33-year-old did exactly that. With his first-round submission victory, Menifield became just the fourth fighter to score a Von Flue choke finish in the UFC.
Against 24-fight UFC veteran Ed Herman this weekend, Menifield will look to secure a second consecutive win and begin another winning streak. But in doing so, he'll have to snap the winning streak of 'Short Fuse', who's won his last three inside the octagon.
With his knockout power, Menifield is certainly one to watch this weekend.
#3. Song Yadong - UFC bantamweight
At just 23 years of age, Song Yadong's potential is off the charts, as it was when he made his UFC debut back in 2017 at the age of just 19. This weekend at UFC 265, Yadong gets his first main card PPV assignment. After just one win in his last three, his fight with Casey Kenney in Saturday's opening bout is his chance to burst into the top 15 and send a statement to the the rest of the bantamweight division.
Before even turning 2020, 'The Kung Fu Monkey' had secured a memorable first-round submission victory on his debut. His front choke against Bharat Khandare signaled his arrival onto MMA's biggest stage. Three wins followed, including two knockout wins against Felipe Arantes and Alejandro Perez.
A majority draw against Cody Stamann, his toughest opponent up to that point, was followed by a competitive Fight of the Night against Marlon 'Chito' Vera last May. Although many suggested Vera was 'robbed' of the win, I scored the fight narrowly in the Chinese fighter's favor. His charge up the ladder came to a halt at UFC 259 this year against fellow rising prospect Kyler Phillips. 'Matrix' handed Yadong his first UFC defeat by way of a unanimous decision.
Having seen his hype train slightly de-railed at the hands of Phillips, Yadong will be looking to get his rise to the top firmly back on track in a great matchup against Kenney this weekend. With slick, fast and powerful striking, Song Yadong is always one to watch whenever he'[s in action. Given that he's coming off a loss, he's likely to come out more determined than ever, which only makes this bout more intriguing.
