When Luiz Cane (10-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) was destroyed by Antonio Rogerio Nogueira this past November at UFC 106, no one was more shocked by the result than "Banha," himself.

His lone prior loss was via disqualification after blasting James Irvin with an illegal knee at UFC 79 in December 2007.

But Nogueira outstruck the brawling Cane and earned a TKO in just 1:56. With Cane now scheduled to face French striker Cyrille Diabate (15-6-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC 114 in May, the Brazilian slugger said he's working on a complete retooling effort to address the lessons learned against Nogueira.

"I give no excuses," Cane told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "Things were going OK, but then he landed some heavy punches and I fell. That was the first time I've ever been knocked down. It's never happened before, even in training.

"He was just better that night. That's what happened."

It was the first "real" loss of Cane's career. The 29-year-old had looked good early against Irvin, and similar to Jon Jones' recent loss against Matt Hamill, most simply wrote off the result as a freak occurrence.

While initially disappointed at the Nogueira loss, Cane believes it came at an opportune moment.

"Its always bad to lose, but I think there is a positive side in taking this loss at this point in my career," Cane said. "It made me see everything I was doing wrong and work hard on it. It made me mature."

Cane's loss took place in a high-profile main-card appearance. When he returns, he'll be relegated to the evening's un-aired prelims. Cane said he doesn't see the demotion as an insult, and he'll use it as motivation to return to his previous position.

"In the UFC, that's the way it works," Cane said. "There are lots of big names and other stars in the making. I find it normal, and it doesn't demotivate me in any way; to the contrary, it makes me hungry to fight and regain the position I was at."

Part of Cane's strategy has involved changing training camps, and he recently left his longtime partners at American Top Team in favor of a fresh start at Florida's Elite Mixed Fighters camp where he trains with Andre Benkei, Mohamed Ouali and Marcus Aurelio.

Cane insists the departure was on good terms, and he was simply seeking a fresh start while he focuses on improving his skills.

"I came back focusing on improvement," Cane said. "Cyrille has been around for a while, I consider him a dangerous opponent, and I am taking this fight very seriously."

Diabate makes his UFC debut, though the PRIDE veteran and former coach on "The Ultimate Fighter" is hardly an MMA neophyte. With a striking background, Diabate would seem to offer an opportunity for Cane to test his refined standup skills.

Cane said he's hoping for the same, but he knows he has to be prepared for all aspects of the game.

"You never know how a fight will develop," Cane said. "Cyrille is a good striker, and I love the striking game. But Cyrille has improved his ground game a lot also. Out of his last five wins, three have been on the ground."

Cane said Ouali, a champion Thai boxer, boxer and tae kwon do artist, is helping him transform his standup attack. Cane said fans will recognize the improvements immediately, though he insists his patented aggression will remain firmly intact in the May 29 bout.

"You will see a big difference," Cane said. "Ouali is transforming my standup game, but my aggressiveness will not change.

"I would like to thank all my fans for all the support they have always given me. For my fans, and for those fans who like to see great striking, I think this could be the best fight of the night."