Robelis Despaigne signed with the MMA outfit just moments after knocking out Miles Banks
UFC wasted no time signing a Cuban fighter who knocked out his opponent in less than five seconds at Fury FC 84 on Sunday.
Robelis "The Bad Boy" Despaigne certainly made his impression with UFC president Dana White and the rest of the organization when he knocked out Miles Banks in four seconds.
The 6-foot-7 Despaigne, who has won an Olympic medal in taekwondo for Cuba, stepped up to Banks and delivered a kick to his side before swinging a right fist that landed on Banks’ head.
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Cuba's Robelis Despaigne won the gold medal, Mexico's Carlos Sansores won the silver medal and Dominican Farily Mora and Puerto Rico's Juan Alvarez won the bronze medal in this event. (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)
Banks immediately hit the canvas, and the referee was quick to stop Despaigne from doing any more harm before the Cuban fighter got up and celebrated his victory.
Not even 10 minutes later, Despaigne had a contract in his face, and he signed on the dotted line. Talk about nailing an interview.
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It was announced later in the ring at Fury FC 84 that Despaigne was signing on to begin his UFC journey.
Despaigne is now 4-0 in MMA matches, and his previous two fights before knocking out Banks didn’t last long either. In fact, his last three fights lasted a total of 19 seconds.
Despaigne is no stranger to winning in a ring, though.
Cuban Robelis Despaigne (R) competes with Mexican Carlos Sansores in the men's taekwondo over 87 kg category event final of the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games (CAC), at the Coliseum of the Marymount School in Barranquilla, Colombia, on July 23, 2018. (LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images)
He won the bronze medal for taekwondo at the 2012 London Olympics, an impressive feat for the fighter. And he’s doing this at 35 years old, which brings more intrigue to the fighter.
It’s uncommon for UFC fighters to flourish at a late age, but it’s been done before. Think Alex Pereira breaking into the famed mixed martial arts organization in 2021.
But Despaigne is even bigger than the 6-foot-4 Pereira, touting an 87-inch reach, which would be the longest in UFC history when he steps foot into one of their octagons. The current record holder is Jon Jones, whose reach is 3.5 inches less than Despaigne’s.
Cuba's Robelis Despaigne poses with his bronze medal on the podium for men's taekwondo + 80 kg category of the London 2012 Olympic games, on August 11, 2012 at the ExCel centre in London. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images)
It’s unknown when Despaigne will make his UFC debut, and more importantly, how he will fare against some of the best MMA fighters in the world now that he’s reached the big leagues of the sport.
Scott Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
