Former UFC heavyweight Robelis Despaigne seems ideally suited for Karate Combat.
In his third appearance with the promotion, Despaigne faced Roggers Souza on the main card of Friday’s Karate Combat 53 event in Denver. After achieving two knockout victories in a combined total of just 16 seconds since leaving the UFC, “The Big Boy” secured another rapid finish – this time, requiring only seven seconds.
Check out the highlight-reel finish in the video below.
The 36-year-old hurt Souza with the very first punch of the fight, and arguably it could have been stopped right there, but the referee gave Souza every opportunity to continue. Unfortunately for Souza, Despaigne was perfectly accurate with his follow-up punches to secure the knockout.
Despaigne had three fights in the UFC, including an impressive 18-second knockout in his debut at UFC 299 in March 2023. The Cuban fighter suffered unanimous decision losses in his subsequent two fights against Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane, who effectively used grappling-focused strategies.
