Jhonata Diniz | Adrenaline Junkie

Fighting at home brings its comforts, but it often adds additional pressure. For Diniz, he sees the opportunity as a competitive advantage ahead of his upcoming bout against the undefeated Portuguese prospect.

“I can arrive more calmly, more peacefully,” he explained. “The setting is much easier for us now. There's no jet lag and we don't need time to be able to recover from this. So, we're now in the best possible mood.”

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Former kickboxing ace Diniz has made a flying start to life in mixed martial arts. Five consecutive first-round knockouts on the Brazilian regional scene earned him a shot on Dana White’s Contender Series, and his first-round TKO of Eduardo Neves saw Diniz earn a UFC contract after just six pro MMA fights.

Since joining the UFC, Diniz has seen the level of competition increase significantly. The first-round knockouts have been replaced by two- and three-round battles that have dragged him into the deepest waters of his MMA career.

Those tests have seen Diniz claim three wins – one knockout and two decisions – and one TKO defeat at the hands of perennially-ranked contender Marcin Tybura.

That defeat came last November, and Diniz bounced back with a hard-earned unanimous decision win over Alvin Hines at UFC 317 in June. Now, Diniz is starting to feel at home on the big stage. The pressure rises as he moves up the division as so does the danger level, but where mere mortals get fearful, Diniz is in his element.

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Diniz is an avid skydiver, and a few months ago took part in a staged MMA “bout” inside an inflatable cage suspended from a hot air balloon, around 5,000 meters above ground.

The contest between Diniz and skydiving coach William Aguilar was carefully rehearsed ahead of time to ensure everyone’s safety, and produced an incredible, unique spectacle that was captured by the UFC Connected cameras.

For Diniz, it was the chance to combine his two biggest passions, and he explained how his love for skydiving actually helps him succeed inside the Octagon.

“It helps a lot, because in skydiving we have to make quick and precise decisions. We don't have much time to make mistakes,” he said. “So, (with) this coolness, this calmness, this tranquility for us to stop, breathe and make the quick decision... I can bring a lot of skydiving into the fight.

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“I often joke that there are two athletes, two versions of Jhony – before skydiving and after skydiving. There's a lot of stuff from skydiving that I can bring and use during the fight.”

Diniz has said previously that if you’re brave enough to jump out of a plane, you have the courage to accomplish almost anything. He’s looking to parlay that fearlessness to his UFC career, which he says gives him just as big of a rush, even though his feet are firmly on the ground.

It’s also the second time in successive fights that he’s shared a card with Brazilian MMA icon Charles Oliveira, and he’s proud to compete on the same night as the former lightweight champion again.

“Expectations are high. I think we've never trained as much as we have been training in the last few months,” he said. “It's a pleasure to fight on the same card as Charles again. It is a great pleasure.”

The UFC’s heavyweight division is experiencing a changing of the guard with a new world champion in the form of Tom Aspinall. A new champion means new opportunities, and new possibilities for the fighters looking to make their way to the top of the division. Diniz counts himself among that group and plans on establishing himself as a legitimate contender over the course of the next two years.

“We're closely following what's happening in the organization, the new athletes joining the division, all this movement,” he said. “Now, on the 25th, there's Malhadinho's (Jailton Almeida’s) fight, and there's Tom Aspinall's fight, as well – the champion, who will shake up our division considerably.

"With the names that are coming in, with everything that's happening, I think that 2026 and 2027 are two very important years for our category. And I'm sure that if we do a good job today, it will be extremely important for our future project.”

Diniz hopes to fly the flag for Brazil at the sharp end of the heavyweight division in the years to come, but admitted that there’s one heavyweight bout he wouldn’t be too keen on taking – a bout with compatriot, and newly-recrowned light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who has his sights set on a heavyweight move, and a potential clash with former champion Jon Jones.

“I believe this fight (Pereira-Jones) would be great for ‘Poatan,’” he said. “He deserves all that he is experiencing. If he manages to move up to heavyweight and beat an athlete like Jon Jones, it would be the perfect ending to his career… If he wanted to retire and live on an island, he could. And then there wouldn't be any risk of him wanting to beat me up!”

As for his own fight, Diniz says he’s ready to deliver on home soil, wherever the fight goes.

“I know he's a very tough, dangerous opponent,” he said. “He's a striker by nature. So, at first, he'll propose a stand-up fight, but we're ready to play the MMA game… You know that, when push comes to shove, he'll try to shoot and get the legs, to play the grappling game. We prepared ourselves for anything.

“My fight will be an electrifying one. It will be two strikers going head-to-head. We will definitely do everything we can to secure this victory in Brazil.”