UFC Fight Night 37 results: Ilir Latifi scores emotional submission win over Cyrille Diabate

LONDON – With a full training camp under his belt, Ilir Latifi looked fantastic in earning a first-round submission win over Cyrille Diabate.

The light heavyweight bout closed out the preliminary card of today’s UFC Fight Night 37 event at O2 Arena in London. It streamed on UFC Fight Pass.

The rangy Diabate kept his distance early as both fighters switched stances and looked for openings. Latifi eventually shot in from distance and brought his opponent to the floor, where he looked quickly for a D’Arce choke but had to settle for holding the dominant position. The patience paid off, as he went back to a front choke shortly after, and this time it paid off.

Diabate tried his best to slip free, but the powerful Latifi transitioning his grip and wrenched the hold, torquing his opponent’s neck in painful fashion and earning the submission win at the 3:02 mark of the first round.

Latifi (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), whose April 2013 UFC debut came on less than one-week’s notice, showed the importance of his redemption in an emotional post-fight address to the crowd.

“I prepared a lot for this fight, and it feels great to get a win that fast,” Latifi said after the fight. “Cyrille posed many challenges – he’s got dangerous striking and a huge reach, which can pose problems.

“It’s amazing to think 10 or 15 years ago I was watching the original UFC events, and now I’m fighting and winning in them. This is one of the best moments of my life.”

Meanwhile, the 40-year-old Diabate (19-10-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) may have competed for the final time after telling MMAjunkie earlier in the week that he planned to retire after the bout, win or lose.

“I’m a striker and I didn’t pull the trigger,” Diabate said. “Obviously I’m disappointed, but now I walk away from the sport. I want to thank my fans and the guys who have helped me train over the years. I will focus on teaching now.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 37 results include:

For complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 37, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

Matt Erickson contributed to this report on-site in London.