The new Cuban UFC prospect, Robelis Despaigne, had formed a massive hype about his UFC debut in the community. The 35-year-old boasts an insane reach of 87″ (221 cm) and even trumps the noted Jon ‘Bones’ Jones in this regard. But his UFC debut showcased that he has dynamite in his hands as well. The Cuban stunned fans with an insane 18-second finish of his first UFC rival. However, a look at the last few fights Despaigne had will reveal that such finishes are nothing new to him.
The MMA covering ‘X’ account, ‘MMA Orbit’, put out the methods of Despaigne’s victories in his last four fights before joining the UFC. It showcased that none of his last four pro-MMA fights have crossed the first round.
Robelis Despaine’s last four fights:
Round 1 KO (0:18)
Round 1 KO (0:04)
Round 1 KO (0:03)
Round 1 KO (0:12)INSANE FROM THE CUBAN PROSPECT! #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/BHI8TzdGgw
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) March 10, 2024
Fans were stunned, and a look at the comments section of the post revealed the same emotions. Initially, If Despaigne’s 18 seconds KO debut was not enough, that he had finished his last four rivals within the first round got them even more amazed.
One of them wrote, “Insanity”
Insanity
— What A Bet (@What_a_Bets) March 10, 2024
Another one penned, “Nobody has his power. He’ll be champion in a relatively short time.”
Nobody has his power. He’ll be champion in a relatively short time.
— Pável • パベル (@pavelnuneez98) March 10, 2024
One more fan presented a similar opinion writing, “Haven’t seen power like that since the Cuban missle crisis”
Haven’t seen power like that since the Cuban missle crisis
— Pal (@alexpalazzolo44) March 10, 2024
Another follower wrote, “His whole career going to last 1 round”
His whole career going to last 1 round
— Noticias da Luta (@noticiasdaluta) March 10, 2024
Well, such comments from the fans are quite expected since they probably haven’t seen such a fierce display of power inside an MMA cage. But a lot of them wished for a Jones vs. Despaigne encounter as well.
Will the fight between Jon Jones and Robelis Despaigne happen?
The current UFC heavyweight champ, Jon Jones, has been in the UFC for long. After reigning over the UFC’s light heavyweight division, he also captured the UFC heavyweight gold at UFC 285. But several recent ‘X’ updates from him indicated that his next fight against the noted, Stipe Miočić, will probably be his last UFC fight.
What I refuse to do is be like a lot of these other fighters who stuck around too long. That just won’t happen. Your boy Bones Jones over here, despite what a lot of people may like to think. Ive set myself up pretty well in life. I want Stipe for my résumé, outside of that, I…
— BONY (@JonnyBones) January 9, 2024
‘Bones’ has been pretty vocal about refusing to accept fights that don’t serve his legacy. After such a dominant UFC career, ‘Bones’ has implied that he has nothing more to prove. It won’t be wrong to say that fighting Despaigne won’t serve ‘Bones’ legacy in any way. Hence, the materialization of this highly touted matchup looks a bit difficult right now. However, things are pretty unpredictable in the UFC, and the future might lead these two to an in-octagon clash.
