Menifield (3-0), a former professional football player turned light heavyweight MMA prospect, extended his unbeaten record with a blistering first-round stoppage of fellow up-and-comer Khadzhimurat Bestaev (4-2) on Friday night at Legacy Fighting Alliance 13 in Burbank, California.
Menifield set the pace early, storming out with a barrage of looping punches before kicking Bestaev’s back leg out and jumping inside the Russian’s guard. Menifield quickly retook his feet, but ended up twice more in top position after reversing a pair of takedown attempts from Bestaev. The final reversal spelled the beginning of the end for Bestaev, as Menifield rained down a salvo of hard punches from top position, including a devastating right hand that appeared to badly damage Bestaev’s orbital, forcing the Russian to submit due to strikes at 4:01 of the opening frame.