UFC 284 results: Alonzo Menifield vs. Jimmy Crute ends in majority draw after late point deduction
Crute #Crute
Jimmy Crute and Alonzo Menifield battled it out for 15 minutes but a late point deduction resulted in the fight ending in a majority draw to kick off the UFC 284 main card.
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. “All I can think while I was in there was this guy hits hard. I was hurt but never didn’t know 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 was really picking his shots while connecting with a stiff jab and then cracking Crute with a nasty hook right behind it.
Despite the punishment he was taking, Crute still managed a takedown late in the second round that allowed him to turn the tables while looking for a submission.
With five minutes remaining, Crute continue to look for the takedown, which was where he was strongest throughout the fight. As Crute attempted to drag the fight to the ground, Menifield actually grabbed onto the fence to stop the momentum and that led to the point deduction from Goddard that changed the result from a win to 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 do it again, me and him,” Menifield said in closing.