With the swing of what seemed to be an iron-clad right fist, Robelis (The Bad Boy) Despaigne might have made one of the quickest impressions ever.
It took the Cuban fighter less than five seconds to knock out Miles Banks at Fury FC 84 on Sunday and with the impressive performance, he quickly earned himself a contract with the UFC.
Despaigne didn’t even wait to leave the arena or celebrate his victory before signing on the dotted line to join the UFC’s heavyweight roster.
He’s now 4-0 since making his debut in 2022. All four of those fights have ended by knockout and the previous three lasted a total of 19 seconds.
Some of his success could be attributed to his impressive fighting history. Despaigne won a bronze medal for taekwondo in 2012 at the London Olympics.
But it’s not just his streak of finishing off opponents quickly or his background that has people intrigued. It’s the 35-year-old’s physical traits that have people wondering if he can make the same late leap to the UFC that a 34-year-old Alex Pereira made back in 2021.
At six-foot-seven, he’ll already be one of the tallest fighters ever to step foot into an octagon, and his 87-inch reach would be the longest in UFC history, 3.5 inches longer than current record holder Jon Jones.
His opponents have a combined record of 1-0-0, so it’s yet to be determined if Despaignes can hang with fighters at the top of the sport, but it’s clear the UFC saw something in him either way.
His debut should be one for mixed martial arts fans to keep an eye on.