A light heavyweight affair between Anthony Perosh and Cyrille Diabate continued to carry the baton for the Spike TV broadcasted event. The bout was billed as a "striker vs. grappler" match-up, and that's exactly what we witnessed. 

 

What we'll remember about this fight: 

Perosh was the decided underdog against Diabate—a touted striking ace who has held multiple titles and was coming off an impressive performance against former WEC champ Steve Cantwell, defeating the kickboxer with a dominant decision victory. 

"The Hippo" devoured "The Snake" in the second round when he cinched up the rear-naked choke finish after a first round that was showered by boos by the fans in attendance at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England. 

 

What we learned about Cyrille Diabate: 

The Pride veteran has trained for a long time with Team Quest out of Temecula, Calif., and has rubbed elbows with the likes of wrestling greats Randy Couture, Matt Lindland and Dan Henderson; however, the muay Thai specialist still shows deficiencies in his ground game.

Though Perosh had little success in the early goings of the bout, he was able to close the distance, pull guard and even take down the 12-year veteran in the waning moments of the bout—something that training alongside an Olympian in Henderson should come with a price. 

Diabate feinted with knees early, though he never opened up. 

 

What we learned about Anthony Perosh: 

The Aussie has gone from UFC washout to now 2-0 as a light heavyweight inside the Octagon. After a lackluster first round, Perosh made the proper adjustments in the later stages of the bout in order to seal the finish. He showed a tremendous amount of resolve and professionalism in continuing to plug away despite a frustrating first round.

On the ground, Perosh is one of the best in the division, which his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and experience on the Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling circuit would indicate. 

 

What's next for Cyrille Diabate:

Back to work with the Temecula crew. Diabate showed the holes that remain in his game.

Granted, a lanky and tall fighter such as himself will be subject to being taken down to the mat by most, but with his long and wiry frame, Diabate could be a very dangerous opponent off his back with triangle chokes galore, but there is clearly work to be done before that is a possibility. 

With the organization setting in the light heavyweight class. His last two outings inside the Octagon have finished by rear-naked choke against notable opposition in the Wolfslair's Tom Blackledge and now Diabate. 

Expect a notable opponent for Perosh in his next outing—maybe Krzysztof Soszynski, the hard-hitting Canadian whom the Aussie was originally scheduled to face at UFC 131 this past June.