That was fast.
Fresh off his 18-second knockout win over Josh Parisian at UFC 299 earlier this month in Miami, heavyweight phenom Robelis Despaigne will make a quick turnaround to battle once-beaten Waldo Cortes-Acosta as part of the upcoming UFC St. Louis MMA event on May 11.
His manager revealed the bout last night on Twitter.
Despaigne, 35, is an Olympic bronze medalist (Taekwondo) with a perfect 5-0 record, with all five finishes coming within the first round. As for the 32 year-old Cortes-Acosta, he’s racked up an impressive 11-1 record with six finishes and is already 4-1 inside the Octagon.
“I’m ready physically and mentally to take on higher level opponents,” Despaigne told reporters after UFC 299. “If everything goes as I hope and they give me a Top 15 opponent, then a Top 10, Top 5, after that we can talk about a title shot. In four-to-five fights I’d like a shot at the title.”
UFC St. Louis airs on ESPN and ESPN+ from Enterprise Center in Missouri.