Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images
Dhiego Lima will look for another knockout win when he meets Luke Jumeau at UFC 243.
The Ultimate Fighter 19 runner-up, Dhiego Lima, is ready to score another knockout win at UFC 243. Paired up against fellow striker Luke Jumeau for the Melbourne card, the 30-year-old tells UFC Brasil’s official website that he expects an all-out stand-up battle in Australia.
After doing most of his camp in the United States, where he lives, Dhiego told the UFC that he spent the last 10 days of his preparation in Thailand in order to hone his muay thai, and believes that the time spent there was well spent.
“I finished my camp in Thailand. I spent 10 days so I could get used to the different time zone. I seized the opportunity to perfect my striking technique. I can assure you that I never kicked so much in my life, I drilled over 500 kicks a day. All I focused on was my preparation, my only worry was training.”
Feeling ready to take on Jumeau, Lima believes the winning strategy will be to try to bait Luke into a counter strike, and the best case scenario would be to score a knockout in the fight’s opening minute.
“Jumeau is a very calm guy, he knows how to use distance in a fight. He likes to strike, but he prefers to wait to be attacked. I want to lure him into an attack and take advantage of that opportunity. It would be perfect to score a knockout in the first round, but I’m ready to show everything I trained.”
Currently on a two-fight winning streak, Dhiego Lima (14-7) knocked out Chad Laprise back in December 2018, and followed that up with a split decision win over Court McGee back in April. The 30-year-old’s last loss happened in April 2018, when he dropped an unanimous decision to Yushin Okami.
Now, Dhiego Lima is expected to take on Luke Jumeau at UFC 243, in Melbourne, Australia, on October 5. The card will be headlined by a middleweight title unification bout between the champion, Robert Whittaker, and interim title holder Israel Adesanya.