Pinto was 1-0 after joining the UFC off the Contender Series in 2024; Diniz appeared on the show a year prior, and was 3-1 to date.

Pinto landed a double leg takedown just inside of a minute into the opening round of the heavyweight fight, but Diniz swiftly returned to his feet, back to the fence. Only to be dragged to the canvas once more. This time, Pinto was able to get on top, with his corner urging him to “stay heavy on the neck.” Diniz did make it back to the fence, just as Pinto passed guard. Diniz desperately, and successfully, worked to regain half guard; Pinto mounted again, but Diniz got him back to half guard a second time. Next time around, Pinto worked his way to side control, securing a crucifix and dropping elbows to the side of the head. An Americana attempt followed, which Diniz gutted out, but Pinto transitioned to an arm-bar, then a triangle.

Diniz was showing decent defense, Pinto was in full control, with several solid submission attempts and lots of dominant top time.

Pinto took the fight back down early in round two, clearly having found the ground game to be a potential path to victory. And as good as Diniz might have been at not being submitted, he was also dominated on the mat in the opening frame, where he’d failed to escape to his feet in the final few minutes. Diniz was no closer to escaping up in round two, instead clamping his hands together and trying to hold on to Pinto, hoping, practically praying for a stand-up by the ref. Diniz nearly reversed, but that was countered by Pinto, whose ground game was a step ahead of the Brazilian’s.

With two minutes still on the clock, it was back to mount for Mario Pinto. An elbow had split open Diniz, and he was gushing blood near one eyebrow. Pinto then unleashed the ground n’ pound from mount, with Diniz covering up and giving the ref every reason to stop the fight, which he did.

Official Result: Mario Pinto def. Jhonata Diniz by TKO, Round 2, 4:10

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Rather, it was his participation in the “world’s highest fight,” a 5,000 meter high MMA bout that ended with a parachute jump.

The spectacle took place earlier this year, with the balloon circling Boituva, Brazil, known as the world capital of skydiving.

“I just did that because I’m a skydiver for more than five years. I love some adrenaline in my life,” Diniz (9-1), a former kickboxer, recalled during the UFC 317 post-fight press conference, with Cageside Press on hand. A friend brought Diniz the idea of fighting in a hot air balloon, and the skydive afterwards. “I can celebrate two of the biggest things that I love in my life, fighting and skydiving, jumping. I love that we did that.”

Believe it or not, Diniz has plans to top that spectacle. “I promise, it’ll be ten times more exciting than the last one,” he finished with a laugh. To be fair, the hot air balloon fight was more of a light spar, for obvious reasons.

Well this is something you don't see everyday 🤯

Heavyweight Jhonata Diniz decided to put the Octagon in the air for the highest altitude fight ever! pic.twitter.com/nnrmt3I1pP

— UFC (@ufc) April 19, 2025

Diniz is now hoping to stay busy in 2025. “I think in just one week, I’ll be ready enough to fight again,” he exclaimed early in his press conference appearance. In kickboxing, “it was normal to make three, four, five fights in a year,” he later added. “I don’t care, it doesn’t matter against who or when I will fight, I just want to make a minimum one [more] fight in this year yet. I’m ready to fight against everybody, I don’t care about who or when.”

Ultimately, he added, he’s looking to stay “more busy than we can do.”

As for the fight with Hines, Diniz was happy with his cardio, and admitted to playing it safe in the third round. “I’m not so tired in the last round, but I have to keep [it] a safe fight, because I already won the first and second round. I talked with my trainers and my coach, [they said] just keep fighting, for the victory.”

“It’s not my fight style, I hate to fight like that, but they already changed my opponents two and a half weeks from the preparation up to [the fight]. I really had to make a good, safe fight for this victory.”

Watch the full UFC 317 post-fight press conference with Jhonata Diniz above.

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Hines entered the UFC‘s annual summer extravaganza, capping off International Fight Week, a perfect 7-0. Diniz had found himself in similar territory in his last outing, dropping to 8-1 after suffering his first career defeat against Marcin Tybura.

Hines came out aggressive to start the fight, landing a solid right hand and pressing forward while Diniz looked for openings. He landed another right and briefly scored a takedown, but Diniz popped right back up. Both fighters landed jabs, but Hines was the one pushing the pace early, despite wearing visible damage. Diniz began finding his counters and chopping the lead leg, with the damage quickly adding up. A sharp one-two from Diniz wobbled Hines late in the round, swinging momentum his way after a strong start from Hines.

In round two, Hines shot for an early takedown but was easily stuffed. He threw more volume with his hands, but Diniz used a more diverse kickboxing attack and superior movement to frustrate the plodding Hines. A clean left hand hurt Hines and forced a desperate, failed shot. Fatigue and leg damage started to show, but Hines gutted through a tough round. Hines got a little creative, even firing off a spinning back fist.

Both men were visibly tired entering round three, with Hines needing a finish. A brief eye poke gave Diniz a chance to recover, but he returned to punishing the leg. Hines kept pressing forward and throwing, but his output lacked impact. Diniz continued to land the cleaner, harder shots, closing the fight with a head kick that Hines absorbed to the final bell.

All three judges scored in the same after 15 minutes, siding with Jhonata Diniz, 29-28. A fun debut for Hines however.

Official Result: Jhonata Diniz def. Alvin Hines by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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Alvin “Goozie” Hines
Standing at six-foot-two
Fighting at 265 lbs (heavyweight)
33-years-old
Fighting out of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, US
Training out of Jungle Gym Mixed Martial Arts
A pro record of 7-0
3 KO/TKOs, 3 Submissions

Skill Assessment:

Distance Striking: D
Clinch Work: C
Movement/Footwork: D
Power Striking: C–
Striking Defense: D
Wrestling in Space: D
Cage Wrestling: C–
Takedown Defense: D+
Defensive Grappling: C
Top Control: C+
Ground and Pound: C+
Submissions: C+
Endurance: C–

Scouting Report:

Hines is a solid short-notice signing. At 33 years old, undefeated, and with experience in LFA, the time is now. He’s a gritty regional-level competitor whose ceiling is probably similar to someone like Shelton Graves: a fighter capable of beating lower-tier opponents but likely to fall short against higher-level competition. Despite the excitement his fights bring, there’s no denying he’s been in razor-close battles with fairly low-level opposition.

Technically, Hines is a bit of a mess, but he does show flashes of some good attributes. He has heavy leg kicks, a solid jab to the body, and decent wrestling instincts. Lately, he’s shown a willingness to strike more, though his hands still lack polish, and he struggles to find his range. His kicking game is more effective, though he often throws them naked without proper setup. He tends to charge forward recklessly, leading to him walking into shots. While he’s shown impressive durability, he’s far too hittable, even against below-average competition.

Wrestling is a core part of his game, though his finishing ability on takedown attempts is inconsistent. He’ll often get in deep on a single leg but fail to complete it. Hines is most effective once he gets fights to the ground. He uses his weight well to smother opponents, maintaining top control while mixing in ground-and-pound and hunting for submissions. However, his takedown defense is a concern. He’s flat-footed and heavy on his base, making it easy to disrupt his balance once you get in on his legs. He hasn’t spent much time on his back, but against higher-level fighters, that could become a major liability.

Overall, Hines brings toughness, physicality, and a strong work ethic. Enough to create some fun scraps, but likely not enough to crack the top 15.

Matchup Outlook vs. Diniz:

Hines does have a path to victory if he can consistently wrestle and control Diniz on the mat. Diniz, a former GLORY kickboxer, has shown vulnerabilities off his back. However, trusting Hines to execute that game plan effectively is a gamble. He’s not a reliable wrestler, and his entries are often telegraphed or incomplete. On the feet, Diniz has a significant advantage. He’s a polished striker with a high output and strong finishing instincts, while Hines is far too hittable and takes a lot of damage trying to close distance.

Prediction: Diniz lands clean as Hines rushes in, leading to a standing TKO or late stoppage after sustained damage.

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The downside for Diniz, a former GLORY kickboxer, was that unlike Lewis, Tybura was unlikely to throw hands. The Polish fighter, well-versed in grappling, would likely look to drag Diniz into deep waters instead.

While Tybura opened with a high kick, a harder, higher kick followed from Diniz. And moments later, Diniz had Tybura rocked and on his back. Diniz got on top, only for Tybura to sweep, showing the inexperience of the kickboxer on the ground. Now, “Tybur” was on top, in half guard, giving him time to recover, and work towards a finish.

Diniz closed his guard and wrapped his arms around Tybura’s neck, while the Polish star landed to the body. Tybura, with ample time on the clock, landed rabbit punches and smothered Diniz, before passing to guard with about 90 seconds left in the first round. Right hands landed to the side of Diniz’s head, but Tybura displayed a fairly conservative approach, mixing in the odd elbow but careful not to lose the position.

Marcin Tybura fired another high kick, a front kick, in the opening minute of round two. Diniz looked the find a way in, but might have slowed a step. Tybura was trying to set something up with his right hand, and finally changed levels, scooping up Diniz and planting him on his back. From there, Tybura had the entire round to work, roughly four minutes, and he took it. Lots of top time, and in the final 20 seconds, down came smashing elbows! Diniz was busted open and barely made it back to his stool, saved by the bell, and his corner assisting him. The bridge of Diniz’s nose, and one eyelid, were both split open; the cutman had his work cut out for him.

Before Diniz could start the third, however, the doctor took a look, and asked the Brazilian a few questions. Whatever he heard, he didn’t like the answer, and shook his head, with ref Herb Dean then waving it off. The UFC 309 broadcast later suggested wobbly legs were to blame; whatever the reason, Marcin Tybura had the TKO win.

Official Result: Marcin Tybura def. Jhonata Diniz by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 5:00

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Despite that, both fighters are expected to remain on the card.

The rather unique situation arose on Tuesday, with a report by Laerte Viana revealing that Lewis will now face Jhonata Diniz. MMA Junkie would later reveal that Romanov will stay on the Edmonton card, taking on Brazil’s Rodrigo Nascimento.

Lewis (28-12, 1NC), the UFC’s KO King, enters the fight at 2-1 in his last three and coming off a win over Nascimento. For Diniz (8-0), it’s a big step up in competition for the former kickboxer, who remains undefeated in MMA following a unanimous decision victory against Karl Williams earlier this month.

While experience in MMA might seem a little lopsided, factoring in a few dozen kickboxing fights, things get a little more interesting in Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz.

As for Nascimento (11-2, 1NC), who now steps in to face Romanov, he has not competed since his loss to Lewis in May. Prior to falling to “The Black Beast,” he’d been riding a three-fight win streak. Romanov (17-3) enters off a loss to Jailton Almeida for his part.

Lewis is ranked #11, Romanov #12, and Nascimento #15 in the promotion’s heavyweight division. Jhonata Diniz is not ranked.

UFC Edmonton takes place at the Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB on November 2, 2024. The card is headlined by Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas, with the following match-ups reported:

• Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas
• Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson
• Marc-André Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
• Ariane Lipski vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
• Jamey-Lyn Horth vs. Ivana Petrovic
• Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro
• Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz
• Alexander Romanov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

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Having won his way into the UFC on the Contender Series, Diniz had knocked out Austen Lane in his debut back in April.

Looking to take Diniz’s 0 was Karl Williams, who had recently made the move to Las Vegas full time. The Xtreme Couture fighter was 3-0 under the UFC banner, care of victories against Lukasz Brzeski, Chase Sherman, and Justin Tafa, all by decision.

The heavyweight prelim opened up with a fair amount of feeling out, Diniz firing low kicks, Williams the odd jab. Diniz began to put a little more behind his kicks, but about two minutes in, it was Williams catching his opponent, sending him stumbling back. With Williams coming in, it was Diniz answering back with a heavy counter! He began to press, landing a left hand, then another low kick that tripped up Williams for a moment.

Things settled back down until the final minute, when Williams, walking forward, changed levels and shot in for a takedown. Diniz was having none of that, stuffing the attempt and circling off. He’d add another left hand and one more leg kick before the end of the round, which Williams closed out fanning on a fastball.

Round two saw Diniz continue to have success with his leg kicks, again nearly taking Williams off his feet with one. While Williams was often the man walking forward, Diniz was winning the striking battle overall with those kicks and well-placed counters. A right hand by Williams, however, kept him in it, but Williams would hit home and get Karl Williams’ attention with a combo moments later. As the round wore on, Diniz and Williams got into a bit of a brawl at times, heavy leather traded, with Diniz absorbing some damage to the nose. Williams would target that nose with a left hand moments later, resulting in Diniz firing back with a combination, then going after Williams with a kick.

Williams entered the third more than likely down 20-18 on the scorecards. Were that the case, he’d need a finish to win, or a 10-8 round to draw. It was Diniz, however, who continued to implement his game plan, going back to the leg kicks, then sneaking a kick upstairs that was blocked. Another low kick had Williams nearly hopping, and Diniz took advantage to crack his opponent with a left. That forced Williams into takedown mode; Diniz would retreat, but Williams stayed on him, finally landing the attempt.

With just over two minutes on the clock. Williams now had to work to find a finish. In half guard, Williams looked to slide his right leg through to mount, but in against the fence, it was easier said than done. Diniz clung to his opponent, back to the fence. Williams, meanwhile, finally got some left hands going, but they didn’t have enough behind them. Time was ticking away, with Diniz covering up. Williams let the hammerfists and elbows fly, but time ran out before he could secure the finish. Down on the scorecards, it was too little too late; Jhonata Diniz maintained his perfect record.

Official Result: Jhonata Diniz def. Karl Williams by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

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Alex Perez

After nearly four years without a win, Alex Perez got back on track in a big way, knocking out fifth-ranked Matheus Nicolau in UFC Vegas 91’s main event. Although currently ranked eighth after his recent loss to Mohammed Mokaev, the win against Nicolau will be reflected in the rankings update on Tuesday morning, when Perez will rise again.

Much of the division is not currently booked. After his big win, Perez should be able to fight someone ranked similarly to him, whereas before he was booked against #11 Tagir Ulanbekov. Remaking that fight would make sense, but a bout against Manel Kape would too, as Kape seeks to earn a title shot. Still, Kape has other options like Brandon Royval, Kai-Kara France, or Amir Albazi, so for now we will say Perez vs Ulanbekov will come next (though Nicolau also has history with Ulanbekov – see our loser’s matchmaker piece for more on that).

Perez’s next Fight: Tagir Ulanbekov

Bogdan Guskov

Uzbekistan’s Bogdan Guskov earned the biggest win of his career by knocking out eleventh-ranked UFC light-heavyweight Ryan Spann in this card’s co-main event. Guskov will now enter the top fifteen after only his third UFC fight.

Several of the fighters ranked around him are already booked, but he could face the loser of Smith vs Petrino, Hill vs Rountree, or Menifield vs Ulberg. Anthony Smith vs Vitor Petrino takes place this week on Brazil, so the loser of that fight would likely be on a similar timeline to Guskov. It would be especially interesting if it is Smith, as him and Bogdan have been said to look eerily alike by many fans and pundits.

Guskov’s Next Fight: Loser of Smith/Petrino

Karine Silva

Brazil’s Karine Silva stayed perfect in the UFC with her toughest win yet, a decision over Ariane da Silva, née Lipski. She entered this fight ranked thirteenth after three straight first round submissions, and her ranking will only improve now as she continues to soar upwards after beating her first ranked opponent.

Karine will keep fighting up the rankings until she loses, and no opponent ranked higher than her makes more sense than #7 Kaitlyn Cerminara, née Chookagian. Kaitlyn has been one consistent of this division for the last several years, and many a future title contender has had to get through her on her way to the top. She also fought for the belt once herself, so she should not be underestimated as a tough, well-rounded veteran challenge for the up-and-comer.

Silva’s Next Fight: Kaitlyn Cerminara

Jhonata Diniz

Former GLORY kickboxer Jhonata Diniz had trouble with his opponent’s wrestling at first, but got into his groove in the second round and put Austen Lane to sleep with punches. His exciting, explosive striking could be a lot of fun at heavyweight if he can stay on his feet long enough to use it.

There are a lot of striking specialists at heavyweight to match Diniz up with next to make a fun fight and build him up slowly, but the one that makes the most sense is the man who did the same thing he did, KOed Austen Lane. Junior Tafa is an exciting but flawed striker who would be sure to put on a chaotic battle against Jhonata for as long as it lasts.

Diniz’s Next Fight: Junior Tafa

David Onama

A back and forth fight against Jonathan Pearce led to athletic knockout artist David Onama winning by decision for the first time in his MMA career. Showing new wrinkles is a good sign for the twenty-nine year old featherweight as he enters his prime.

Now on a two-fight winning streak with a 4-2 record in the UFC, Onama can expect a quality opponent next. Fighters on the fringe of being ranked who are available include Billy Quarantillo and Damon Jackson. Quarantillo is coming off a loss, but Jackson is coming off a win and is 5-2 since 2021. That would be a good fight.

Onama’s Next Fight: Damon Jackson

Uros Medic

Electric Serbian striker Uros Medic got a huge win on Saturday at UFC Vegas 91 when he knocked out veteran Tim Means with a clean uppercut. Uros has won every fight when allowed to participate in striking battles, but lost to opponents who could enforce grappling like Orolbai and Turner. However, Medic showed improvement there by stopping Means’ takedown attempts.

This promising fighter can be tested further by facing a solid all-around mixed martial artist next, and not one who is forty. Max Griffin has been a consistent .500 fighter in the UFC and can strike as well as wrestle. He won his last fight, against Jeremiah Wells, and should make a great opponent for Medic next.

Medic’s Next Fight: Max Griffin

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The Fight Night card marked the first event back for the world’s leading mixed martial arts promotion following UFC 300. After a week off, the rather understated Apex show didn’t exactly inspire, with minimal fan interest perhaps due to minimal big names being involved. Still, the main card in particular managed to deliver some exciting finishes, with all four Performance of the Night bonuses awarded on Saturday going to main card fighters.

Leading the way was headliner Alex Perez, who folded up Matheus Nicolau in the second round of a fight that had been competitive as long as it lasted. Nearly a walk-off KO, Perez backed off realizing the Brazilian was done, allowing the ref to finally jump in and make the save.

The win snapped a three-fight skid for Alex Perez, and was his first victory since 2020. In the co-main event, meanwhile, another big finish saw Bogdan Guskov earn a Performance bonus. After enduring a couple of low blows early, Guskov put Ryan Spann away via TKO in the second.

Uros Medic blasted Tim Means out of the octagon in their welterweight main card opener at UFC Vegas 91, while heavyweight Jhonata Diniz survived a lopsided first round spent entirely on his back to knock out out two-time Contender Series alum Austen Lane.

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Lane had made two appearances on the Contender Series, four years apart, before earning himself a UFC deal. His first two fights had both come against Justin Tafa, after an eye poke halted their original meeting early (Lane was knocked out in the rematch).

As for Diniz, the kickboxing champ was undefeated in MMA with a 6-0 to start the night.

Lane held a considerable size advantage in the fight, visually dwarfing the kickboxer. About a minute in, Lane got the fight to the ground, working from guard and trying to create space to land some ground n’ pound. Diniz appeared lost on his back, shipwrecked in the center of the cage just holding on to Lane, unable to shrimp to the fence or scramble out.

Austen Lane, meanwhile, passed into half-guard. He had wrist control, though Diniz was able to inch, just a little, back to the fence in that sequence. A stronger wrestler or BJJ artist might have had the bout finished by that point, instead Lane smothered Diniz on top. Lane moved to mount in the final seconds and opened up with ground n’ pound but was unable to do put Diniz away, allowing the bout to head to a second round.

Lane worked his jab early in round two and muscled Diniz to the fence, where Diniz finally opened up a little. Lane blew a takedown and wound up sitting in guard, with Diniz completely disinterested in engaging on the ground, instead hanging around chopping Lane’s legs until the former football player stood back up. Lane had slowed noticeably, and Diniz found an opening for his uppercut. A left, then a right followed; a final left hook toppled Lane! After being dominated on the mat in round one, Jhonata Diniz successfully completed the comeback in round two!

Official Result: Jhonata Diniz def. Austen Lane by knockout, Round 2, 2:12

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