UFC
Cyrille Diabate meets Anthony Perosh at UFC 138 in England
Aug 26, 2011 - 9:10:39 AM Cyrille Diabate meets Anthony Perosh at UFC 138 in England

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Cyrille "The Snake" Diabate returns to the cage this November, as he'll meet Australian light heavyweight Anthony Perosh at UFC 138 in Birmingham, England.

The 37-year-old Diabate announced the match up via Twitter.

Diabate first got exposure to the UFC's main audience as a coach for Dan Henderson's Team US on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. The 6'6" Frenchman then received an opportunity to fight in the Octagon himself in 2010, and made the most of it by posting a knockout win over Luiz Cane. After a loss to Alexander Gustafsson, Diabate rebounded this March with a decision win over Steve Cantwell.

Perosh fights for the third time in the Octagon, but the first outside of his home country. He made his debut as a last minute replacement opponent against Mirko Cro Cop, but took a beating through two rounds that caused doctors to stop the fight. However, in his return this February at UFC 127, Perosh submitted Tom Blackledge in under three minutes to get his first UFC win.

UFC 138 takes place on November 5 from the LG Arena in Birmingham, headlined by a middleweight bout between Chris Leben and Mark Munoz. The event airs via tape delay in the U.S. on Spike TV.

Penick's Analysis: This is a solid light heavyweight fight. Both Diabate and Perosh have a long list of stoppage victories under their belts, so it's bound to be a very exciting fight regardless of its placement on the card. With both coming off a win, the loser shouldn't be worried about being cut, but it's still important for each of them to put on a show in England, and that should be a fun fight.