In the wake of the success of Alex Poatan at the UFCformer middleweight champion (84 kg) and current holder of the light heavyweight belt (93 kg), yet another kickboxer debuted on the right foot in the biggest event in MMA of the world. This Saturday (27), on the main card of UFC Vegas 91, Jhonata Diniz achieved a comeback victory over Austen Lane, via knockout.
After suffering from his opponent’s grappling in the first round, the Brazilian striker – with a long and successful career in kickboxing – recovered in the second stage. Perfect in defending takedowns in the second round, Jhonata took advantage of Lane’s fatigue to show his superiority in the stand-up fight and ‘erase’ the American.
The fight
Right at the beginning of the fight, Lane showed what his strategy for the fight would be. After a quick study of the stand-up fight, the American took the Brazilian striker down and took the duel to the ground. Even though he didn’t have any forceful strikes or risk a submission, Lane dominated the action on the ground and got the better of the round.
Aware of his rival’s tactics, Jhonata became more attentive and managed to deny his takedown attempts. Confident after frustrating his opponent, the Brazilian unleashed his game in striking and, with powerful blows, secured the victory by knockout.
