Olympic medalist Robelis Despaigne lost a one-sided decision to Waldo Cortes-Acosta at UFC St. Louis, with Cortes-Acosta exploiting Despaigne’s weak ground game.
Robelis Despaigne? Not quite ready for the big leagues, it seems.
Saturday night at UFC St. Louis was a bit of a letdown for the towering Olympic medalist. Waldo Cortes-Acosta handed him a one-sided defeat, and that’s putting it mildly.
Despaigne, a 6-foot-7 taekwondo whiz, came into the fight with a lot of buzz. His octagon debut? An 18-second knockout of Josh Parisian last March. His regional MMA career? It’s got three-second and four-second knockouts. So, you can imagine the anticipation for what the 35-year-old heavyweight would do next.
But, plot twist! It was Cortes-Acosta who stole the show. He took full advantage of Despaigne’s less-than-stellar ground game and won a decisive victory.
The MMA world had a lot to say about Cortes-Acosta vs. Despaigne. Here’s a peek at the reactions:
John Wayne Makdessi (@JohnMakdessi) tweeted, “This dude just got exposed. No gas and no ground game. #UFCStLouis” on May 11, 2024.
Jared Gordon (@JFlashGordonMMA) chimed in, “Why didn’t he punch like this earlier?” on the same day.
Renato Moicano UFC (@moicanoufc) added, “Fraud check 3” on May 11, 2024.
Jason Mayhem Miller (@mayhemmiller) had a zinger: “At this point in his career, Depaigne hasn’t even seen a YouTube jujitsu video.” He tweeted this on May 11, 2024.
And Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) summed it up with, “Acosta Nurmagomedov tonight” on May 11, 2024.