But every round starts on the feet, giving Diniz another opportunity to showcase his striking, and that’s exactly what he did. Lane pressured him up against the cage, but Diniz landed a short lefthook that visibly stunned Lane. Moments later, Lane shot for a desperate takedown which Diniz was able to stuff without any issues this time around.
Diniz welcomed Lane back up to his feet and began unloading shots, each landing cleaner than the one before it. A left hook nearly dropped Lane, then Diniz followed with a straight right and another hook to seal the deal. The win earned Diniz his first Performance of the Night bonus.
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Four months later, Diniz’s MMA cardio was tested against Karl Williams. Having never gone past the first round until the Lane fight, a full three-round bout was new territory. The fight waslargely a kickboxing match, which favored Diniz. He controlled the pace and out-struckWilliams slightly to take rounds one and two. Williams did manage a takedown late in the third, but it was too little too late as Diniz walked away with his second UFC win.
Those two victories earned him a shot at Top 10 contender Marcin Tybura at UFC 309 inside Madison Square Garden. Much like the Lane fight, Diniz spent most of the first round on his back. The second round played out similarly, though this time Tybura landed a series of punishing elbows in the final seconds that opened cuts above both of Diniz’s eyes and across his nose.
