Pressure was the key to victory for Jhonata Diniz in his heavyweight encounter with 'The Slovakian Giant' Tomas Mozny on the GLORY 37 SUPERFIGHT SERIES card.
Diniz faced a height and reach disadvantage but overcame it by pressing forwards constantly and staying right in Mozny's face for almost the entire duration of the fight. By closing down the range he took away the danger of Mozny's straight punches and kicks from distance and at the same time was able to swarm with an endless succession of punches.
His biggest success of the fight came in the first round when he stepped in with a crisp one-two combination. The stiff left jab opened Mozny up for the follow-on right cross which landed cleanly and dropped him to the canvas.
Mozny beat the count but looked wobbly. Diniz piled the pressure on as he looked for a finish but Mozny stayed tight behind his guard and Diniz was forced to dial down for fear of gassing himself out.
In the second round Mozny struggled to keep the fight at the distance he wanted it, Diniz constantly backing him up and robbing him of the distance he wanted. Diniz repeatedly ate big shots as he came in to close Mozny down but he simply bulldozed his way through it to get where he wanted to be.
Diniz's efforts to stop Mozny had depleted his gas tank and he was slower in the third round, although still going at a ferocious pace considering this was a heavyweight fight. Mozny was able to take control of the fight more and had his best round of the fight.
The fight marked Diniz's return to GLORY for the first time since a GLORY 15 ISTANBUL loss to Hesdy Gerges. In the intervening period he has worked hard on his skills and that has been rewarded with success in various international competitions.
His return to GLORY showed him to be much improved and he adds an interesting new presence to the division. Mozny, who now drops to 1-1 in GLORY, may have taken a loss here tonight but he is young and dedicated. He shows promise for the future and both fighters look like they will be regular fixtures in the division in the future.
Jhonata Diniz (15-5-0) def. Tomas Mozny (17-5-1), Unanimous Decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-27)
