Alonzo Menifield Is Fighting With a Broken Thumb at UFC 331 Because Combat Sports Medicine Is a Myth

Alonzo Menifield is currently fighting inside the octagon at UFC 331 with a broken thumb, and the ringside doctor just gave him the green light to keep swinging. In any normal profession, a broken thumb gets you six weeks of paid leave and a specialized ergonomic keyboard. In the UFC, it just means you have to punch a heavyweight with your other four fingers.

According to MMA reporter Adam Martin, the medical staff looked at the compromised digit and decided it was perfectly fine for a fistfight. If you are holding a live betting slip on this matchup, that is the exact moment your heart drops into your stomach. You cannot exactly execute a flawless game plan when your primary weapon is structurally compromised.

"Adam Martin reported: 'Alonzo Menifield is fighting with a broken thumb. Doctor let him continue.'"

Menifield is standing across the cage from Iwo Baraniewski in a heavyweight clash that was already promised to be an absolute firefight. Menifield walked into this bout with an 18-6-1 professional record, looking to build momentum after a brutal first-round ground-and-pound stoppage over Zhang Mingyang back in May.

Now he has to navigate a massive opponent throwing bombs at his head while dealing with a bone that is no longer in one piece. The sheer absurdity of a doctor looking at a broken hand and saying you are good to go is peak combat sports theater. It is the medical equivalent of putting duct tape on a cracked windshield and hitting the highway.

We will see if Menifield can survive the rest of this fight or if Baraniewski targets the obvious handicap. Either way, expect a lengthy medical suspension for Menifield once the adrenaline wears off and he actually has to try opening a jar of peanut butter tomorrow morning.