Heavyweight knockout artist Robelis Despaigne is aiming for a title shot within a year of his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut.
Despaignes (5-0) needed just 18 seconds to knock out Josh Parisian in his promotional debut at UFC 299 in March. The undefeated prospect will take on Waldo Cortez-Acosta (11-1) on May 11th at UFC on ESPN 56, which will see the sophomore make his way to the Octagon. Despaigne believes a win over Costa and several others after that will earn him a chance at the title as well for next year.
“If everything goes according to plan, I think I’ll be fighting for the UFC heavyweight title, at least the interim title, by early next year,” Despaigne told MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura.
Despaignes has finished all of his matches in the first round, with a combined total of 37 seconds in his last four matches. Considering this situation has seen Alex Pereira skyrocket to double champion status in less than two years since his UFC debut, it’s not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Despaignes will fight for the title next year. Maybe.
Cortez-Acosta, on the other hand, bounced back from the only loss of his career by unanimous decision against Marcos Rogerio de Lima and enters the Octagon on a winning streak.
The UFC heavyweight title is currently in doubt as Jon Jones is sidelined with an injury and there is no timeline for a return fight with Stipe Miocic. Meanwhile, interim champion Tom Aspinall called out light heavyweight champion Pereira, unsure if the winner of that fight would face him. Despaigne believes Jones will beat Miocic but could lose the title to Aspinall.
“It’s a close race, but if it’s a matter of momentum, I think Aspinall can come through and take the crown,” Despaigne said. “But we know the qualities that Jon Jones has, so he can always surprise.”