On the main card of UFC St. Louis tomorrow night, there’s a heavyweight matchup where you truly won’t want to blink when you’re watching. Top heavyweight contenders will battle it out as Robelis Despaigne (5-0) takes on Waldo Cortes-Acosta (11-1).
Starting with Cortes-Acosta, he’s honestly knocking on the door of the heavyweight rankings. After earning a shot on The Contender Series, Cortes-Acosta won his first two fights inside the octagon. Then he suffered a setback by losing a decision to Marcos Rogerio de Lima. However, he’s bounced back well with back-to-back wins including one over former heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski.
Standing across from him tomorrow night is a true anomaly. Robelis Despaigne is a former Olympic Bronze Medalist in Taekwondo. The Cuban heavyweight transitioned to MMA and made his debut back in 2022. His first four fights lasted a total of 5:13 with all four wins coming via knockout. Then, he made his UFC debut back in March and scored a 18 second knockout over Josh Parisian. His last four fights have now lasted a total of 37 seconds with four knockouts.
UFC St. Louis Prediction
It’s so hard to predict a Robelis Despaigne matchup right now because we just haven’t seen much of him. Partly because of his ungodly power and his incredible striking. Cortes-Acosta has very good striking and he’s been tested inside the octagon. I expect him to deviate slightly from striking and at least mix in some takedown attempts or clinch to throw Despaigne off his game.
If he fights Despaigne at range, he’s going to get finished. Despaigne is too powerful and he’s too slick with his movement and his striking. He’s so incredibly powerful that he can win any fight at the drop of a hat. So, who wins at UFC St. Louis? I actually think the smart bet is Cortes-Acosta.
He’s been there done that and he’s more of a proven commodity. That said, it’s so hard to deny the power and I think Cortes-Acosta is going to strike with Despaigne. I expect it to last longer than seconds, but I think the Cuban remains unbeaten at UFC St. Louis.
Prediction: Robelis Despaigne by TKO