Jhonata Diniz was furious after suffering the first loss of his professional MMA career.
The 33-year-old put his 8-0 record on the line against #9 heavyweight contender Marcin Tybura at UFC 309, which took place Saturday night at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Diniz earned his spot in MMA's premier promotion by impressing Dana White on the Contender Series in September 2023, and since then he has posted back-to-back UFC victories that have quickly propelled him into the heavyweight top 15.
However, he discovered that there are levels to this match against Tybura, a 35-fight MMA veteran.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Jhonata Diniz protests the Doctor's defeat
A huge mistake in Diniz's play was exploited by Tybura during their two-round scrap.
The 39-year-old from Poland repeatedly took him to the ground and kept him there.
Late in the second round, Tybura unleashed a series of ferocious elbows that left Diniz covered in blood and “leaking like a faucet,” according to UFC 309 commentator Joe Rogan, as three nasty gashes opened on his face before the horn sounded. to seemingly save him from a TKO defeat.
A member of the Diniz corner burst into the Octagon and dragged his fighter to his feet, but it proved to be a serious mistake as the Brazilian appeared to struggle to stay on his feet.
Two doctors entered the cage to assess the damage. The cuts didn't seem bad enough to end the fight, but after speaking with the doctors, Herb Dean waved off the fight as Diniz was deemed unable to continue.
Diniz immediately began arguing with the medical professionals in the cage, but it was too late as his undefeated streak was officially over.
Jon Anik revealed during the UFC 309 broadcast that Diniz's withdrawal had nothing to do with his blood-soaked face and everything to do with him being unsteady on his feet between rounds.
Jhonata Diniz was set to face Derrick Lewis at UFC Edmonton
A first defeat in his career caps a turbulent two-week period for Diniz.
The former kickboxer was scheduled to face Derrick Lewis on November 2 at UFC Edmonton, but the biggest fight of his career was called off after both men made it to the event.
Lewis skipped the ceremonial weigh-in before being completely taken off the card due to a 'medical issue'
It remains unclear what exactly happened to 'The Black Beast', but it has been repeatedly made clear that the health problem he was experiencing had nothing to do with losing weight.
Coach Bob Perez did not reveal the exact medical issues Lewis is dealing with, but he assured concerned fans that the UFC KO record holder is doing well.
“As you know, Derrick was not medically cleared to fight tonight,” Perez revealed on social media.
“It's a medical problem that has nothing to do with weight loss. He's doing well.
“Thank you for contacting him.”
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