Dustin Jacoby vs. Alonzo Menifield set for UFC 296

Dustin Jacoby and Alonzo Menifield are set to meet Dec. 16 in a battle of hard-hitting light heavyweights at UFC 296.

MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin confirmed the booking with multiple sources close to the situation on Thursday.

Jacoby (19-7-1) returned to the win column in his last outing following a two-fight slump with a first-round knockout of Kennedy Nzechukwu this past August. The 35-year-old former GLORY kickboxer began his second UFC stint in 2020 with an unblemished 6-0-1 run before stumbling to Khalil Rountree Jr. and Azamat Murzakanov in back-to-back bouts.

Menifield (14-3-1) is unbeaten over his past four contests, scoring stoppage wins over Jimmy Crute, Misha Cirkunov, and Askar Mozharov. In total, the 35-year-old veteran has won seven of his 11 octagon appearances, a run that includes a first-round knockout of Paul Craig.

UFC 296 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The event is headlined by two title fights: UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards vs. Colby Covington and UFC flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja taking on Brandon Royval in a rematch.