EliteXC has signed PRIDE and Cage Rage veteran Cyril “The Snake” Diabate, according to a report by Brian Knapp of The Fight Network.

Knapp confirmed the news with Diabate’s manager, Ken Pavia. A debut date and an opponent has not been determined.

Diabate, who has a lifetime pro MMA record of 12-6-1, according to Sherdog.com, is a French-born kickboxer and is regarded by many as one of the top pure strikers in MMA. While Dan Henderson was preparing for his fight vs. Anderson Silva at UFC 82, Diabate was recruited to join his training camp at Team Quest’s location in Temecula, Calif.

The 34-year old has been defeated just once in his last six fights. However, Diabate has not fought in almost a year, with his last bout coming at Cage Rage 21 on April 21, 2007. In that bout he recorded a first round submission over Ryan Robinson when he secured an armbar just 1:15 into the fight.

Prior to the win over Robinson, Diabate competed at PRIDE “Final Conflict” on September 10, 2006, where he suffered a first round TKO loss due to stomps to current UFC light heavyweight Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.