Evangelista "Cyborg" Santos no longer feels like the little guy.

The former Chute Boxe fighter and other half of Strikeforce women's middleweight title-holder Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos said he undertook his first diet in preparation for a bout against Marius Zaramoskis at "Strikeforce: Los Angeles."

And judging from the fight's result – a first-round knockout of the DREAM welterweight champion – Santos feels he made the right move.

"I felt very well," Santos (18-13 MMA, 1-1 SF) said through a translator. "My cardio is better. My punches are faster, so I feel really good."

It was Santos' second consecutive victory and a huge coup over those who thought Zaramoskis (13-5 MMA, 0-2 SF) was the decided favorite heading into the bout.

"All my opponents drop weight [to] make weight, and I always fight [at] the same weight – [my walk-around] weight," Santos said. "So I feel better now dropping weight in this fight."

Zaramoskis, a native of Lithuania, put up a good scrap in the first moments of the fight when he put together several punch-kick combinations that slowed Santos' advance.

But Zaramoskis got a taste of his own medicine when Santos wobbled him with a head kick and met a leaping knee counterattack with a punch that put him down.

Santos said he was used to heavier punches as a smaller middleweight.

"I felt nothing because I fight with guys more heavy than me (like) Melvin (Manhoef) or Mauricio 'Shogun' (Rua)," he said. "So his punches [didn't] affect me."

Santos said he plans to stay in Los Angeles, where he prepared for Wednesday's bout at the Nokia Theatre, and help his wife prepare for her second title defense next Saturday at "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum" against Jan Finney.

The fighter said he is open to a rematch with Zaramoskis in Japan, and Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker said he supports such a move.