Robelis Despaigne, a Cuban heavyweight and former UFC fighter, will face MMA veteran Marcos Brigagao in the Karate Combat pit on January 24 in Miami, following his record-setting debut knockout in December.
Robelis Despaigne is gearing up to step back into the Karate Combat pit on Jan. 24. He’ll be squaring off against MMA veteran Marcos Brigagao in Miami. Promotion officials confirmed this exciting matchup to MMA Fighting. It’s going to be a main card attraction.
Despaigne’s Karate Combat debut? Unbelievable! It lasted just four seconds. Enough time to knock out Dominik Jedrzejczyk and set a company record for the fastest finish. This was just last December.
The Cuban heavyweight isn’t just any fighter; he’s a taekwondo Olympic bronze medalist. Made quite the splash in the MMA world, too. Three lightning-fast knockouts paved his way to a UFC contract. Remember his first octagon appearance? Stopped Josh Parisian in a mere 18 seconds! But then came decision losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane.
After parting ways with the UFC, Despaigne found a new home with Karate Combat. He’s also signed with Global Fight League, though we’re still waiting for details on his debut fight there.
Curious about his Karate Combat debut? You can watch that jaw-dropping finish below.
Now, let’s talk about Brigagao, his opponent this month. He started strong, going 11-0 in MMA before appearing on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019. Unfortunately, he lost to Jamal Pogues. Since then? A mixed bag—6-7 in MMA, but he did compete for the LFA light heavyweight championship in early 2024.
Brigagao’s last fight was in November—a bareknuckle MMA match against Guto Inocente at Gamebred. He didn’t come out on top that time around. But who knows what surprises January might bring?