Jhonata Diniz outlines strategy against Derrick Lewis

Jonathan Diniz will face Derrick Lewis no card principal do UFC Edmontonwhich takes place on Saturday (2), with an eye on the heavyweight rankings.

With two victories in the two fights he has had since joining Ultimate, the Paraná native believes that another positive result will place him directly in the top-15 of the division — especially against a name that is already among the best.

And this is part of a deadline that he himself set, with his team, to be able to fight for the heavyweight title in 2026, when he will be 35 years old.

“The plan is to finish 2024 within the ranking and, regardless of position, get as close as possible to the top 5 next year to fight for the belt in 2026”, he detailed, in an interview with OneTwo Sports.

Lewis is currently 11th in the rankings in the division that has Jon Jones as the current champion. If he wins, Jhonata will automatically move up to his rival’s position, fulfilling his goal for the year.

The Paraná native comes from two consecutive victories within the UFC, by knockout and points, and is undefeated in his MMA record. Derrick, in turn, had two victories in the last five fights he had — the three most recent, including against Brazilians.

Jhonata Diniz’s strategy

In the UFC since 2014, Lewis is known for tiring out his opponents in the Octagon and then achieving a knockout victory — and Jhonata is well aware of his opponent’s game.

“The strategy is to work on speed and movement and not stop in front of him, because if his hand gets caught, he’ll kill anyone. He’s an athlete who needs a punch to end the fight. He can’t blink, no you can make mistakes”, explained Diniz.

The Paraná native also has no intention of attempting a submission against Derrick, as it would be very risky, and it’s not the type of fight he feels comfortable with; prefers to go for the exchange.

“I don’t have this strategy of tying up the fight, throwing it to the ground, because I don’t have enough to carry an athlete like that and try to finish him. Derrick Lewis is a bizarre creature, he has no neck, it’s difficult to try to get a submission. The thing is to really beat it up”, explained Diniz.

The fight between the Brazilian and the American will be the fourth on the UFC Edmonton main card, which starts at 9pm (Brasília time), on Saturday (2).