Your confidence needs to be high, and your will to become the best has to be unbreakable. But to find those highs, you often need to hit a low. Losing to William Knight by unanimous decision in December of last year wasn’t necessarily a “low” for Alonzo Menifield, but more of a learning experience and a chance to get his mindset right.
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“When you’re training, you’re just training with the right mindset. That’s how I realized that this is what I want to do,” said Menifield.
After his loss to Knight, Menifield was in the rebuilding process, with the focus mainly on reorganizing his priorities inside the Octagon and training to not become overzealous with excitement and adrenalin when the moments get intense. Now competing at the highest level, Menifield has to learn how to use his energy efficiently.
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“It’s just finding that switch and not preserving so much. So, training like a son of a gun and having a tank that is out of this world. That’s what I plan on doing this weekend,” said Menifield.
For his seventh fight inside the Octagon, Menifield will be taking on debuting light heavyweight Askar Mozharov. Menifield expects his opponent to feel the first-time UFC jitters, but when asked if he thought his experience would faze his opponent, Menifield believed it could be a factor, but he’d rather that it doesn’t play out like that.
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“Based on his mindset and what I’ve seen, it may [affect him]. I hope not, because I would like the best of him,” said Menifield.
At this point in Menifield’s career, he’s not here to test himself. He passed his tests and paid his dues, and that’s why he’s fighting in the UFC right now. So, for the light heavyweight, it’s all about racking up wins.
“I no longer need to test. So, my mindset is to win at all costs. I practice all the arts in this MMA game. Wherever it goes it goes. Finishing and entertaining, that’s my mindset.”
