A young and promising light heavyweight with athletic pedigree and an undefeated record to boot? That’s enough to turn heads in an era where the 205-pound pool is hitting the shallows and prospects can cross into world-title contention in mere months.
But even before Menifield caught the gaze of MMA matchmakers, he was already a rarity in his own right. A self-professed child of the courts, the 29-year-old overcame an upbringing that would sink most men, a path of violence and rejection that led all the way to his present day, where Menifield stands steadfastly as the 1-in-100 statistic that fashioned a shovel from the scrapheap and dug himself a way out.