UFC newcomers to battle Alonzo Menifield, Nursulton Ruziboev in Seattle
In the midst of a slew of cancellations, the promotion added two new fights Thursday for the Feb. 22 event at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.
As first reported by MMA Junkie and made official by the UFC shortly thereafter, Alonzo Menifield will welcome promotional newcomer Julius Walker to the cage in a light heavyweight bout.
Additionally, Nursulton Ruziboev will move back to middleweight to battle promotional newcomer Eric McConico. That bout was first reported by MMA Mania.
Menifield (15-5-1 MMA, 8-5-1 UFC) was expected to face Oumary Sy at UFC Fight Night 255 on March 22 in London. However, Sy withdrew due to injury. Now back at Fortis MMA, Menifield aims to snap a two-fight skid.
Walker (6-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) rides a regional career's worth of finishes and success into his promotional debut. He is the Synergy FC and Peak Fighting ligh heavyweight champion.
Ruziboev (34-9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) returns to middleweight after his first UFC loss, a unanimous decision dropped vs. Joaquin Buckley in March 2024. The bout will come one week after his brother, Mashrabjon Ruziboev debuts Saturday at UFC Fight Night 251 vs.
McConico (9-2-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was expected to headline Tuff-N-Uff 141 on Friday. An MMA Lab product, McConico has won five fights in a row.
With the additions, the UFC Fight Night 252 lineup includes:
Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong
Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez
Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Jean Silva
Rob Font vs. TBA
Steve Garcia vs. TBA
Ibo Aslan vs. Ion Cutelaba
Andre Fili vs. Melquizael Costa
Modestas Bukauskas vs. Rafael Cerqueira
Javid Basharat vs. Ricky Simon
Adam Fugitt vs. Billy Ray Goff
Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Nick Klein
Eric McConico vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie's event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
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