Despaigne On Fixing His Ground Game After UFC Exit

Robelis Despaigne believes his time away from the UFC repaired the glaring weakness that cost him his roster spot two years ago.

Despaigne burst into the promotion in 2024 with an 18-second knockout of Josh Parisian, riding a four-fight stoppage streak with a combined cage time under six minutes. The Olympic taekwondo bronze medalist looked unstoppable on the feet. Then wrestlers got hold of him. Back-to-back losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane exposed his ground game, and the UFC released him before the year ended.

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Wrestling Work and Heavyweight Gold Outside UFC

The Cuban heavyweight spent 2025 fighting elsewhere. He captured the Karate Combat heavyweight title, then returned to MMA this past May with a first-round knockout of Junior dos Santos at Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions debut card. According to Sherdog, Despaigne now carries a 6-2 record into his UFC comeback — a Sept. 19 clash with Tai Tuivasa at UFC 331 in Los Angeles.

Despaigne told reporters he gained critical experience and shored up his grappling during the layoff. "I gained about a year of experience outside of the UFC," he said, per the UFC's official preview. "And now that I'm returning, I have much more confidence in myself. The main difference is that I've got a lot of experience and I've worked on my ground game."

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He still wants the heavyweight strap. "I'm highly ambitious and my goal is to get the UFC belt," Despaigne said.

UFC 331 takes place Saturday at Crypto.com Arena. The Tuivasa fight is Despaigne's first appearance on a numbered card since his promotional debut.

Reported via:

• Sherdog — Robelis Despaigne says UFC exit fixed the hole in his heavyweight game