Robelis Despaigne, a former bronze-medalist in Olympic Taekwondo, will debut at UFC 299 in Miami against MMA veteran Josh Parisian. The fight was officially announced by Despaigne’s manager in a post on January 9.
Despaigne has been a prolific finisher so far in his four-fight career. The Cuban giant has finished all of his fights by first-round knockout, with his last three coming in a combined time of 19 seconds. “The Big Boy’s” last three fights were 12 seconds, three seconds, and four seconds respectively.
Despite being low-caliber for the UFC, Parisian is a major step up in competition for Despaigne. The combined record of Despaigne’s last four opponents is 1-0-0, whereas Parisian brings a record of 15-7-0 which is 15x as many wins and an undeterminate amount of losses comparatively. If Despaigne can pass Parisian with flying colors, it’s easy to see him fast-tracked into more fan-pleasing matchups within the UFC.
Robelis Despaigne Already Sets a New UFC Record
Despaigne will own the longest reach in UFC history, with a reported arm span of 87″. This is longer than the arm span of 7′ Stefan Struve and longer than the previous record holder Jon Jones (84.5″). This is a likely factor in Despaigne’s unconventional knockouts, not only is he a mountainous fighter with a good striking pedigree, but he also possesses an otherworldly reach.
Fans will be watching closely as a new breed of heavyweight talent is poised to debut in Miami on March 9.
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