Jhonata Diniz - News & Rumors - UFC | FOX Sports

Can't defend takedown in loss Diniz lost to Mario Pinto via TKO (punches) at 4:10 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Impact It goes without saying that Diniz was likely shocked by Pinto's decision to turn this into a grappling match. He certainly didn't handle it well. The Brazilian allowed three takedowns and 7:28 worth of control time. He was credited with exactly one significant strike landed on five attempts. Diniz attempted to remain active from the bottom in an attempt to improve his position, but he was eventually worn down and finished late in Round 2. Diniz will be plenty competitive in stand-up battles, but any opponent that he faces moving forward would be foolish to not employ the same game plan Pinto did this evening.

OCTOBER 12, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Pinto up next Diniz is scheduled to compete against Mario Pinto in a heavyweight fight at UFC Rio on Oct. 11, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Less than a month after defeating Alvin Hines, which came after a series of fight changes beforehand, Diniz will look to go 2-0 in 2025. For the second win, he will fight Pinto, coming off a bonus-winning knockout punch to Austen Lane back in UFC Vegas 103.

JULY 22, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Take decision in UFC 317 opener Diniz defeated Alvin Hines via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC 317 on Saturday in Las Vegas.

Impact It was an underwhelming performance from Diniz as upwards of a -500 favorite. He was clearly the more accomplished striker and did enough over the first two rounds to build a substantial lead on the scorecards, but Diniz gassed out in Round 3 and was generally unimpressive for the duration of the fight. The good news is that his takedown defense again held up, as he stuffed 9-of-10 tries from Hines. The Brazilian improves to 3-1 in the UFC, in addition to picking up a knockout win on Dana White's Contender Series back in September 2023.

JUNE 29, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Will face new opponent Diniz will no longer face Justin Tafa (undisclosed) at UFC 317 on June 28 and will instead take on Alvin Hines, according to Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Diniz didn't fight against Vitor Petrino in March after the latter withdrew from the fight due to an apparent elbow injury, and now he'll have to prepare for another opponent. This bout will be Diniz's first since suffering a loss to Marcin Tybura at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, 2024. He's gone 8-1 in his career at the pro level, but it remains to be seen if he'll have enough time to prepare for a new opponent since this change comes just two weeks before the event.

JUNE 14, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Will take on Tafa Diniz will take on Justin Tafa in a heavyweight bout at UFC 317 on June 28, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.

Impact Diniz didn't fight against Vitor Petrino after the latter withdrew from the fight due to an apparent elbow injury, meaning this bout will be Diniz's first since suffering a loss to Marcin Tybura at UFC 309 on Nov. 16, 2024. He's gone 8-1 in his career at the pro level, but since Diniz is 33 years old, it's unclear how much gas he'll have left in the tank to continue rising in the standings.

APRIL 7, 2025 • ROTOWIRE