Fight fans were calling for a heavyweight showdown between free agents Francis Ngannou and Robelis Despaigne after both heavyweights picked up knockout victories under the MVP banner back in May. Unfortunately, that potential pairing is now off the table because Despaigne re-signed with UFC.
His reps announced the signing on social media earlier this morning.
Despaigne, who turns 38 in just a few days, was released from UFC in late 2024 after posting a 1-2 record inside the Octagon. While his striking is about as good as it gets (in any division), his ground game was practically nonexistent, giving opponents with even the slightest bit of wrestling a major advantage.
After his release, “Bad Boy” kept busy with highlight-reel knockouts in the troubled Karate Combat promotion.
Not much has changed over the last two years, leading fans to speculate that UFC only gave the 6-2 Cuban a second chance to keep him from fighting Ngannou (because “The Predator” is still Public Enemy No. 1). That said, there are still some fun matchups at heavyweight, like fellow striker Alex Pereira.