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Olympic Star Claims 12-Second Knockout at Karate Combat 52


Friday night proved to be a busy night for Cuban striker Robelis Despaigne, as the former UFC heavyweight and Olympic taekwondo medalist showcased his striking power once again in the Karate Combat pit.

Despaigne captured Olympic bronze at the London 2012 Olympic Games, and added two more bronze medals to his collection at the 2013 and 2015 taekwondo world championships before turning his attention to MMA.

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Robelis Despaigne
Robelis Despaigne of Cuba reacts after defeating Josh Parisian during their heavyweight bout at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center on March 09, 2024 in Miami, Florida.

Megan Briggs/Getty Images

After claiming a TKO finish late in the first round of his pro MMA debut, Despaigne then demolished his next three opponents in a combined 19 seconds to capture the attention of the UFC, who signed him to a contract in early 2024.

His Octagon debut delivered another blink-and-you’ll-miss-it finish, as he stopped Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds at UFC 299 in March 2024, but his next two fights ended in drab decision defeats to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane as his struggles against wrestling-based opponents became apparent.

That led to the UFC and Despaigne parting ways, with the rangy Cuban heading to Karate Combat, where their striking-first ruleset has been a much better fit for the 36-year-old’s skills.

His Karate Combat debut lasted just four seconds as he knocked out Poland’s Dominik Jedrzejczyk at Karate Combat 51. Unsurprisingly, Despaigne was invited back to the very next event, which took place on Friday night in Miami.

Despaigne faced off against Brazil’s Marcos Brigagao, a 17-7 mixed martial artist and former LFA light heavyweight title challenger with 12 career knockouts to his name.

Once again, Despaigne claimed a quickfire finish, as he dropped Brigagao multiple times en route to a 12-second knockout victory.

That wasn’t the end to Despaigne’s Friday night, however, as the knockout specialist was chosen to make his return to mixed martial arts with new fight promotion Global Fight League.

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The inaugural GFL draft took place on Friday night ahead of the promotion’s first-ever season, with Team Miami selecting Despaigne in the 15th round with the 93rd pick of the draft.

Despaigne, who trains in Florida, will join former UFC champions Junior Dos Santos and Anthony Pettis on Team Miami, alongside fellow countrymen, and fellow Olympians, Yoel Romero and Hector Lombard.

And with the GFL awarding maximum points to fighters who can finish their opponents, Despaigne could be a prolific scorer for Team Miami when the inaugural GFL season gets underway in April.

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For more on the combat sports, head to Newsweek Sports.



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