Robelis Despaigne
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Robelis Despaigne | |
---|---|
Born | Robelis Despaigne Sanquet[1] 9 September 1988 Santiago de Cuba, Cuba |
Other names | The Big Boy |
Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
Weight | 265 lb (120 kg; 18 st 13 lb) |
Division | Heavyweight |
Reach | 84 in[2] |
Style | Taekwondo |
Fighting out of | Orlando, Florida, U.S. |
Rank | 4th degree black belt in Taekwondo[3] |
Years active | 2022–present |
Mixed martial arts record | |
Total | 7 |
Wins | 5 |
By knockout | 5 |
Losses | 2 |
By decision | 2 |
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog | |
Robelis Despaigne Sanquet (born 9 September 1988) is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and taekwondo practitioner. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He won the bronze medal on Taekwondo at the 2012 Summer Olympics - Men's for 80 kg.[4][5]
Contents
Background
Robelis Despaigne spent his formative years in Cuba, where he began practicing taekwondo at nine years old. Seven years into his training, Despaigne earned a spot on the national taekwondo team—a position he held for 15 years. The pinnacle of his taekwondo career came in 2012 when he represented Cuba in the Olympic Games held in London, clinching a bronze medal in the heavyweight category.[6]
In 2012, amidst rumblings of dissatisfaction with the state of sports in Cuba, he decided to make a significant shift. "I was losing love for the sport in 2012. A lot was going on in Cuba where I wasn’t really happy about the sport,” Despaigne explained. Encouraged by his coach to explore mixed martial arts (MMA), he initially hesitated due to concerns about the knockout-heavy reputation of the sport. Eventually, after watching fights and realizing his potential, Despaigne made the decision to venture into the world of MMA.[6]
In 2019, he commenced MMA-specific training in Cuba, incorporating grappling into his routine. Faced with pandemic-related delays, Despaigne made the pivotal decision to relocate to Orlando, Florida, in 2022, where he continues to reside and train.[6]
Taekwondo career
Despaigne won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the +80 kg event.[5] He beat Chika Yagazie Chukwumerije in the first round, before losing to Anthony Obame in sudden death in the quarterfinal. Because Obame reached the final Despaigne was entered into the repechage. There he beat Kaino Thomsen-Fuataga, with the fight stopped because of the points difference. He beat Daba Modibo Keita in his bronze medal match by walkover as Keita could not compete due to injury.[5]
Mixed martial arts career
Early career
Despaigne made his MMA debut against Katuma Mulumba on 3 June 2022 at Titan FC 77. He won the bout at the end of the first round via TKO stoppage.[7] He then recorded three fights in 2023, winning all by knockout in less than 20 seconds.[8]
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Despaigne was signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in December 2023.[9]
Despaigne faced Josh Parisian on 9 March 2024, at UFC 299.[10] He won the fight via knockout 18 seconds into the first round.[11] This fight earned him the Performance of the Night award.[12]
Despaigne faced Waldo Cortes-Acosta on 11 May 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56.[13] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[14]
Despaigne faced Austen Lane on 19 October 2024 at UFC Fight Night 245.[15] He lost the fight by unanimous decision.[16]
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
- Ultimate Fighting Championship
- Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Josh Parisian[12]
- Second fastest finish/knockout by a debuting heavyweight in UFC history (18 seconds) (behind Todd Duffee's 7 seconds)[17]
- Longest reach in UFC history (87" wingspan)[18]
Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown | ||
7 matches | 5 wins | 2 losses |
By knockout | 5 | 0 |
By decision | 0 | 2 |
Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 5–2 | Austen Lane | Decision (unanimous) | UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Pereira | October 19, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
Loss | 5–1 | Waldo Cortes-Acosta | Decision (unanimous) | UFC on ESPN: Lewis vs. Nascimento | May 11, 2024 | 3 | 5:00 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | |
Win | 5–0 | Josh Parisian | TKO (punches) | UFC 299 | March 9, 2024 | 1 | 0:18 | Miami, Florida, United States | Performance of the Night. |
Win | 4–0 | Miles Banks | KO (punch) | Fury FC 84 | December 3, 2023 | 1 | 0:04 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
Win | 3–0 | Stevie Payne | TKO (punches) | Fury Challenger Series 7 | September 24, 2023 | 1 | 0:03 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
Win | 2–0 | Travis Gregoire | TKO (punches) | Fury FC 80 | June 25, 2023 | 1 | 0:12 | Houston, Texas, United States | |
Win | 1–0 | Katuma Mulumba | TKO (punches) | Titan FC 77 | June 3, 2022 | 1 | 4:54 | Miramar, Florida, United States | Heavyweight debut. |
References
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External links
- Professional MMA record for Robelis Despaigne from SherdogLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- Articles with short description
- Use dmy dates from December 2023
- Articles with invalid date parameter in template
- 1988 births
- Living people
- Cuban male mixed martial artists
- Heavyweight mixed martial artists
- Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo
- Cuban male taekwondo practitioners
- Olympic taekwondo practitioners for Cuba
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Olympic bronze medalists for Cuba
- Olympic medalists in taekwondo
- Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Pan American Games medalists in taekwondo
- Pan American Games gold medalists for Cuba
- Summer World University Games medalists in taekwondo
- Sportspeople from Santiago de Cuba
- Central American and Caribbean Games gold medalists for Cuba
- Competitors at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2011 Pan American Games
- FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Cuba
- World Taekwondo Championships medalists
- Central American and Caribbean Games medalists in taekwondo
- Medalists at the 2011 Summer Universiade
- Medalists at the 2011 Pan American Games
- 21st-century Cuban people