Robelis Despaigne improves to 5-0, stops Josh Parisian in 18 seconds at UFC 299
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to us tonight, March 9, 2024, for UFC 299, a 14-fight card going down from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Headlining the event is bantamweight championship rematch between Sean O’Malley (17-1, 1 NC) and the only man to ever defeat him, no. 5 ranked Marlon Vera (23-8-1).
Co-headlining the event is a lightweight encounter between no. 3 ranked former interim champion Dustin Poirier (29-8, 1 NC) and no. 11 ranked Benoit Saint-Denis (13-1, 1 NC).
Our third bout of the night at UFC 299 came in the heavyweight division between debuting Robelis Despaigne (5-0) and Josh Parisian (15-8).
At 35 years of age, Despaigne made his UFC debut tonight as a 2012 Olympic Games bronze medalist in taekwondo, as well as a two-time World Championships bronze medalist in the same sport. He had a knack of ending fights early, all four of his previous wins coming in the opening round, while 22-fight veteran Parisian tried to stop the hype with a win of his own tonight at UFC 299.
Continue reading to see how this heavyweight encounter went down:
Official Result: Robelis Despaigne def. Josh Parisian via TKO (punches) at :18 of round one
Despaigne took the center immediately once the bout began, throwing a pair of right hands that both missed the target in the opening seconds. He went for a head kick right after, slipping and falling to the mat as it connects on Parisian’s arm. Parisian came in on Despaigne as he worked his way back to his feet, Despaigne unloading a right-left-right combination that dropped him on the spot.
Two follow up punches is all it took and the referee was forced to stop the action.
I need more of Robelis Despaigne #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/xx3GY99qEa
— Jason Williams (@jasoneg33) March 10, 2024
Robelis Despaigne won his MMA debut via TKO at 4:54 of round one, before following up with knockout wins in 12 seconds, four seconds, and three seconds respectively over the course of his next three fights. What’s more, his first three opponents were 0-0, with his fourth going in at 1-0. Then he’s thrown a 15-7 vet in his fifth pro fight and knocks him out in under one minute too. What a talent.
With the win, Despaigne earned the secnd fastest finish by a debuting heavyweight in modern UFC history with the 18-second knockout.
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