Croydon’s ‘Poster Boy’ Jimi Manuwa admitted he was disappointed with the way his UFC fight against Cyrille Diabaté ended despite recording another victory at Wembley Arena.

The 33-year-old light-heavyweight prospect forced the vastly experienced Frenchman to retire on his stool in agony after the opening round due to a calf injury.

The damage was done during the opening minutes when Manuwa delivered a couple of effective kicks on Diabaté’s left leg.

"I'm quite disappointed he had to retire after the first round, it's not the way I would have wanted to win,” said Manuwa, who moves his perfect mixed martial arts fight record to 13 straight victories.

“I spoke to him after and he said he injured himself but I'm sure I would have won anyway. 

“I tried to be sharp as a striker, he's also a good striker, and I'd worked on my wrestling and jui-jitsu."

And Manuwa who runs his own gym Lion’s Pride MMA in Tamworth Place, Croydon, is now looking forward to taking a much deserved rest from the sport before preparing for his next contest in the octagon as he continues to pursue his dream of becoming Britain’s first UFC champion.

He said: “I'm looking forward to a break as I'm having a month off but I'm sure in a few weeks I'll be itching to get back to the gym.”