UFC 299: Unbeaten 6'7" Olympic KO Artist Set to Debut at Miami Event

This heavyweight phenom has finished every fight in the first round.

Former Olympian and undefeated heavyweight knockout artist Robelis Despaigne will make his highly-anticipated UFC debut at UFC 299. The news was announced in a press release and later confirmed by Despaigne's manager.

A bronze medalist in Taekwondo at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Despaigne quickly established himself as a must-watch heavyweight prospect after he made the jump to MMA in 2022.

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“The Big Boy” kicked off his professional MMA career with a first-round knockout against Katuma Mulumba, and last year the Cuban managed to knock out another three opponents in a combined 19 seconds while competing for Fury FC. 

Despaigne inked a deal with the UFC late last year following his 4-second knockout over Miles Banks, and now the former Olympian is set to make his promotional debut against Josh Parisian at UFC 299 on March 9.

Despaigne's last three fights lasted a combined 19 seconds / (Fury FC)

A veteran of Dana White’s Contender Series, Parisian has gone 2-4 since he joined the UFC and is currently on a two-fight skid after he dropped a decision to Jamal Pogues and was submitted by Martin Buday in his most recent outing.

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Fan attention in recent months has largely been focused on plans for UFC 300 in April, but UFC 299 has rapidly developed into a massive card with the recently-announced co-main event between Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis as well as the headlining bantamweight title bout between Sean O’Malley and Marlon “Chito” Vera.

Despaigne’s promotional debut against Parisian is another solid addition to UFC 299, and plenty of fans will have their eyes glued to the heavyweight contest to see whether “The Big Boy” can continue scoring highlight-reel knockouts on MMA’s biggest stage.

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