Jimmy Crute fought Alonzo Menifield for 15minutes. However, a late deduction caused the fight to end in a draw that was used as a kickoff of the UFC 284 main event.
After Menifield nearly scored a near finish with two knockdowns, Crute forged a late comeback in the third round. As Crute went for a takedown, Menifield grabbed the fence to stop himself from hitting the ground and referee Marc Goddard paused the fight to take a point away for the foul.
When the fight ended, the scores read 29-27 for Crute with two judges scoring it 28-28, which means the point deduction ultimately resulted in the majority draw.
“Obviously, I’m disappointed,” Crute said in front of his home audience. While I was there, all I could think was that this man hits me hard. I got hurt, but I never knew where I was .”
The light heavyweights were trading heavy shots early until Crute decided to turn to his wrestling, taking Menifield to the canvas with his first takedown attempt. Crute had to battle to maintain the position with Menifield constantly moving and scrambling to work back to his feet.
Despite Crute’s best efforts, he couldn’t keep Menifield underneath him and The Contender Series veteran eventually stood up again before unleashing some huge punches. Crute started to absorb a lot of damage until Menifield finally uncorked a brutal right hand late in the first round that crushed the Australian and sent him down to the canvas.
To his credit, Crute was able to grab onto a leg to survive until the horn but he was still rattled as the second round got underway. Menifield really was picking his shots, connecting with a strong jab and cracking Crute right behind it.
Crute managed to take down Crute late in round two, despite the harsh punishment. This allowed Crute to change the game and look for a submission.
Crute continued to search for the takedown with five minutes left. This was his strongest position throughout the fight. Crute tried to bring the fight down, but Menifield grabbed on to the fence to stop momentum. This led to Goddard’s point deduction that made the outcome a draw.
It was a tough spot for Menifield, especially with Crute closing the fight strong to claim the third round. While it certainly wasn’t the result either of them wanted, Menifield said he would be happy to run it back, perhaps in Australia again.
” “Let’s try it again, him and me,” Menifield concluded.
Source: https://www.mmafighting.com/2023/2/11/23596094/ufc-284-results-alonzo-menifield-vs-jimmy-crute-ends-in-majority-draw-after-late-point-deduction?rand=96749
