Robelis Despaigne was back at it again Friday night (Feb. 28, 2025) at Karate Combat 53 from Denver, Colorado, as the former UFC heavyweight stopped his opponent with a ridiculous eight-second knockout (punches).
In case you have missed it, Despaigne has turned into a bit of a legend since crossing over to Karate Combat late last year following his release from UFC. Heading into this weekend, Despaigne had produced two-straight incredible knockout finishes inside of The Pit. This includes a four-second finish in his debut and a 12-second knockout this past January.
Fight fans didn’t think Despaigne could look any more dominant as a member of Karate Combat, but that was before Friday’s event played out from the Mile High City.
Despaigne’s opponent for Karate Combat 53 was Brazilian MMA veteran, Roggers Souza, who has shown the ability to finish fights throughout his pro career, Unfortunately for Souza, he didn’t have much of a chance to showcase his skills. That’s because Despaigne was on top of him from the second the fight started, landing a massive right hand that dropped Souza to his knees. Despaigne followed up with a few powerful shots before the referee stepped in for the quick eight-second stoppage.
Check out the entire fight in the above video player.
Despaigne, 36, is now 3-0 as a member of the Karate Combat roster as he’s completely turned his career around after a subpar stay with UFC. There’s no telling how long the former Olympic medalist can continue his dominance, but the 6’7” Despaigne is clearly one of Karate Combat’s biggest stars right now.
