Robelis Despaigne gets opponent for Karate Combat return after 4-second KO debut

Robelis Despaigne will return to the Karate Combat pit on Jan. 24 to face MMA veteran Marcos Brigagao in Miami, promotion officials confirmed to MMA Fighting. The bout will be featured on the main card.

Despaigne’s Karate Combat debut lasted only four seconds, enough time for him to knock out Dominik Jedrzejczyk and set the record for fastest finish in company history this past December.

The Cuban heavyweight is a taekwondo Olympic bronze medalist who made waves in the MMA circuit by scoring three lightning quick knockouts to earn a contract with the UFC, stopping Josh Parisian in just 18 seconds in his first octagon appearance before a pair of decision setbacks to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane.

Despaigne’s parted ways with the UFC and was signed by Karate Combat shortly after. He’s also inked a deal with new MMA promotion Global Fight League, but his first fight under the GFL banner is yet to be announced.

Watch Despaigne’s Karate Combat debut finish below.

Brigagao, his opponent later this month, went 11-0 in MMA to earn a shot at Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, losing to Jamal Pogues. He went 6-7 in MMA since then, competing for the LFA light heavyweight championship in early 2024. Brigagao’s last bout took place in November, when he lost a bareknuckle MMA contest to Guto Inocente at Gamebred.