A battle between rising light heavyweight contenders is headed for UFC on ABC 7 as Azamat Murzakanov vs. Alonzo Menifield is in the works to take place Aug. 3 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the news to MMA Junkie following an initial report from Vestnik MMA.
Murzakanov (13-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) hasn’t competed since defeating Dustin Jacoby in April 2023. Prior to that, the undefeated Russian knocked out his past four opponents. He was scheduled to face Khalil Rountree last December at UFC on ESPN 52 but withdrew due to pneumonia.
Menifield (15-4-1 MMA, 8-4-1 UFC) suffered his first setback in five fights when he was knocked out by Carlos Ulberg in just 12 seconds earlier this month at UFC on ESPN 56. He will make a less than three-month turnaround to face Murzakanov.
Below is the updated card for UFC on ABC 7:
- Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
- Nick Diaz vs. Vicente Luque
- Michael Chiesa vs. Tony Ferguson
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Marlon Vera
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Loopy Godinez
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Azamat Murzakanov
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.
