The bout between Justin Tafa and Jhonata Diniz is reportedly set for UFC 317 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on June 28. The pair square off in a heavyweight clash, battling it out at the event held during the 13th annual International Fight Week.
Tafa (7-5, 1 NC) of New Zealand looks to bounce back from two straight defeats. The Brisbane, Australia-based 31-year-old was stopped by Tallison Teixeira in the first round in February and dropped a unanimous decision to Karl Williams last March.
Diniz (8-1) of Brazil lost his previous bout last November via second-round TKO due to a doctor stoppage against Marcin Tybura. The defeat snapped the 33-year-old’s eight-fight winning streak, which was also his first defeat in MMA.
According to MMA Fighting, following social media reports, the Tafa vs Diniz fight “will happen.” The promotion is yet to formally announce the bout.
Additionally, another recently reported matchup that is also yet to be confirmed by the UFC features former 125-pound title challenger Brandon Royval (17-7) of Denver, Colorado up against Manel Kape (20-7) of Angola. The pair is expected to square off in a rescheduled contest at flyweight.
The current UFC 317 lineup looks as follows:
- Brandon Royval vs. Manel Kape
- Justin Tafa vs. Jhonata Diniz