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Robelis Despaigne of Cuba poses for a portrait after his victory during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC)
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Robelis Despaigne Is Must-See TV

Heavyweight Knockout Specialist Robelis Despaigne Looks To Deliver Another Signature Win In His Sophomore Octagon Appearance

Getting up to grab a beverage or use the restroom is not the move when a Robelis Despaigne fight is starting.

The 2012 Olympic taekwondo bronze medal winner made his professional mixed martial arts debut in June of 2022, and he’s wasted no time – literally – in becoming one of the scariest heavyweight prospects on the planet.

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“The Big Boy” won his MMA debut by knockout at 4:54 in the first round, and, since then, he’s registered knockout wins of 12 seconds, 3 seconds, 4 seconds, and 18 seconds. The last of which came in his UFC debut at UFC 299 against Josh Parisian. That performance was good for the second fastest finish or knockout by a debuting heavyweight in UFC history.

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Four straight knockouts of under 20 seconds is just bonkers, so it’s no wonder why people can’t even blink during one of Despaigne’s fights. Despaigne promises that he’s not simply stepping into the Octagon and looking for an immediate knockout, but if it happens, then it’s the best case scenario for everyone.

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“That’s a plus, right? What does the audience like?” Despaigne asked UFC.com through a translator. “The public likes to see that. They like to see the knockouts, so obviously that catches a lot of attention.”

Robelis Despaigne of Cuba punches Josh Parisian in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Robelis Despaigne of Cuba punches Josh Parisian in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Despaigne’s twenty-year journey with taekwondo and his time spent on the Olympic stage prepared him for all the pressures that come with fighting in the UFC. It feels just like another day in the office for him, and that’s why he believes he’s been able to transition so smoothly to the MMA game.

Sure, with such little time spent in the Octagon there are facets of his game that remain big question marks, but Despaigne knows that those skills will be tested and displayed sooner rather than later, and he’s confident he’ll prove that he can do it all.

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“Above all, I think the people wonder about grappling. I think I have improved in grappling, and they don’t know about my ground game. I’m not by any means a specialist on the ground, but I think the people haven’t seen it or its development,” Despaigne said. “They haven’t seen the ground game or my spinning kicks and some other things that I have for them, but skills are growing quick and these are things that come with time.”

Robelis Despaigne of Cuba reacts after his knockout against Josh Parisian in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Robelis Despaigne of Cuba reacts after his knockout against Josh Parisian in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

This weekend, Despaigne will make his sophomore UFC appearance, entering the fray with Waldo Cortes Acosta in St. Louis, Missouri. It’s certainly a step up in competition for Despaigne, as Cortes Acosta holds an 11-1 record and is 4-1 in the UFC. Putting two rising heavyweight prospects against one another means there is plenty of opportunity to be had for both men, so it’s a high-stakes matchup.

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Despaigne recognizes that Cortes Acosta has already earned respect in the Octagon thanks to his wins over veteran fighters like Chase Sherman and Andrei Arlovski, so he’s excited to get in there and mix it up with someone of Cortes Acosta’s caliber.

“Waldo has had a good journey so far. I know he’s a high-level fighter, and with each new opponent that level is going to get higher and better every time,” Despaigne said. “He’s represented Latin America really well, but let’s see who is better at fighting.”

Robelis Despaigne of Cuba reacts after his knockout against Josh Parisian in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
Robelis Despaigne of Cuba reacts after his knockout against Josh Parisian in a heavyweight fight during the UFC 299 event at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Despaigne isn’t necessarily in a rush to get to the top of the division, but at 35 years old, he understands delivering wins like he did against Parisian will skyrocket his stock and help him capitalize on being in his prime. And he believes that beating someone as respected as Cortes Acosta in emphatic fashion could be enough to get him a fight with a ranked opponent his next time out.

“It’s a great opportunity, and this is the type of opportunity that could get people talking about the Top 10, maybe that kind of opponent,” Despaigne said. “Top 12 to Top 8 we can start looking at something like that. After this fight, after anything that goes well, I think they can give me a ranked fighter.”

Despaigne and Cortes-Acosta open up the UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento main card live on ESPN, ESPN+, and UFC Fight Pass at 7pm ET/ 4pm PT.

Make sure you have it on and you’re paying attention the second the fight starts… or you might miss it.

UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento took place live from Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri on May 11, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass