He Cuban Robelis Despaigne arrived at the UFC with the image of being a giant with forceful fists, perfectly capable of knocking out any rival that the company’s president, Dana White, could put in front of him. However, in the heavyweight division of the top mixed martial arts company in the world, the same could be said for anyone else.
The great challenge for the Cuban was to demonstrate to White and company that he had the speed and technique to land his powerful blows against fighters who, for the most part, have much more experience in MMA.
On Saturday, during his debut on the UFC Miami card, with several of his compatriots supporting him at the Kaseya Center, Despaigne made it clear that the hubbub is not just a matter of words.
Just 18 seconds after the first round began, the burly and lanky Antillean gladiator knocked out his opponent, after losing balance after attempting a kick, getting up and connecting with his rival while he retreated.
Despaigne will try to follow in the footsteps of Yoel Romero, the island’s top Cuban representative in the UFC, who even fought with former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
After that superb and quick showing in South Florida, Despaigne appears to be in a good position to begin climbing the required ranks to put a ranking number next to his name. In a heavyweight division that is not necessarily the deepest in the promotion, the Cuban could sneak into the top 10 contenders with a couple more victories, especially if they are of such forcefulness.
That 18-second performance served to attract the attention of other renowned fighters in the category, such as Junior Tafa, who took to his Instagram account to ask the UFC that his next fight be against the islander in Australia.
With Jon Jones potentially one or two more fights away from his MMA retirement, opportunities at the top of the heavyweight division may become more and more open over the course of the next year. It’s the ideal time for Despaigne. He knows it and now the rest of the world knows it too.
