Robelis Despaigne won a bronze medal at the Olympics and delivered an impressive performance on his Octagon debut. In just 18 seconds, he smashed Josh Parisian, a heavyweight champion.
After making a name for himself on the regional scene with four straight first-round finishes, ‘The Big Boy’ continued the trend in his promotional debut at UFC 299 on Saturday night. Despaigne’s thunderous kick knocked him off his feet in the first seconds. Despaigne scrambled back up and met the approaching Parisian, with a powerful right hand. This sent the opponent to the floor.
Parisian had to eat two more hands before the referee intervened and stopped the fight.
Official Result: Robelis Despaigne def. Josh Parisian by TKO (strikes), 0 :18 Round 1.
The UFC records this as the second fastest heavyweight knockout ever. Despaigne, who is now 5-0 on his mixed martial arts resume, only took 37 seconds for him to knockout his last four opponents.
Watch highlights of Robelis Despaigne’s fight with Josh Parisian in UFC 299
