For most of the first round, Cyrille Diabate stalked Anthony Perosh around the Octagon, trying to establish the proper distance to strike and do some damage. Perosh obviously wanted to take the Muay Thai/Kickboxing expert to the mat and use his grappling skills to neutralize his opponent’s striking ability. After a missed takedown, Diabate was able to gain a bit of control with Perosh on his back and punished him for the mistake before letting him back up. That move might have led to a swift turning of the tide for round one, as Perosh was then able to assert himself in the offensive position on the mat to finish the round.
The second round featured more cagey striking by Diabate at its inception, however, it was soon more of the same: Perosh was able to secure a takedown and maneuver around his opponent at will, even gaining full mount. After that, it wasn’t long before “The Hippo” gobbled up Cyrille Diabate’s back and earned the win via rear naked choke.