Top honcho Dana White usually loves miracle tales when huge betting underdogs bag upset victories on the global MMA stage. However, he took no prisoners in lambasting Waldo Cortes-Acosta for his slow-pacing performance at UFC St. Louis. Cortes-Acosta fought Robelis Despaigne at UFC on ESPN 56.
Coming into the scrap, Olympic medalist and 6’7” Cuban fame Robelis Despaigne has said he would fight for the championship gold by 2025. However, his hype train and aspirations took a massive dive when 12-1 heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta unanimously edged him out. Moreover, his takedown defense and conditioning were not up to par. Dana White wasn’t a fan of the whole discourse.
I think that everybody who won tonight came out and delivered, …[on Cortes-Acosta’s win] He won, but if you had to pick [out of] all the fights on the card, and you open the show heading into the [main card when] we’re live on ESPN, …it’s your time to shine and show everybody…and that’s your performance? If I was going to give out a bonus for sh*ttiest fight of the night, who would you guys give it to? Yeah, everybody’s in agreement…
Dana White at the UFC on ESPN 56 post-fight press conference
Robelis Despaigne (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) initially looked like a world-beater. He went along with the moniker “Cuban Ngannou” after the KO artist. He earned a quick knockout bonus of $50k in his UFC 299 debut. He went 5-0, with an aggregate of four of his fights coming before the twenty-second mark. But this fight wasn’t it.
Dana White wasn’t a fan of Waldo Cortes-Acosta’s #UFCStLouis win over Robelis Despaigne 😳
“If I was giving out a bonus for sh*ttiest fight of the night, who would you guys give it to?” pic.twitter.com/bS03uBQolZ
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) May 12, 2024
However, White was somewhat right in his assessment. Despite Despaigne’s defense not being up to level, Waldo Cortes-Acosta couldn’t finish a less experienced Cuban fighter. He won the contest 30-27, 30-27, and 30-26, but Dana White quickly criticized it as the worst fight for a main card. Yet, not every news was so glum at the presser.
Hype train of Robelis Despaigne derailed
The Cuban Olympian had much hype when he entered the UFC. His 6 ft 7 inches frame is not something fans see in the UFC every now and again. As such, the UFC booked the Cuban in a fairly easier matchup against Josh Parisian at UFC 299. Robelis Despaigne passed the test with flying colors.
Robelis Despaigne (via UFC X Account)However, his second outing featured a well-rounded fighter in Waldo Cortes-Acosta. Unlike Parisian, Cortes-Acosta did not hesitate to go for takedowns. As such, he easily out-grappled Despaigne to a unanimous decision win. This fight proved the Cuban fighter’s grappling inexperience. Moreover, his punches and setups looked subpar as well.
Robelis Despaigne could still easily be a future champion!! 👑
All he has to work on is his wrestling, BJJ, kicks, punches, elbows, knees and cardio 🙏 pic.twitter.com/K06DUdaKKd
— Elon Rakhmonov 🇦🇺 (@ElonRakhmonov) May 12, 2024
One could say that if the initial counter-punches thrown by Despaigne fail to knock people out, then the Cuban fighter might have a long night inside the octagon. Despaigne will turn 36 this year and mid-thirties is not a time when fighters improve their game. As such, a top 15 fighter might be the ceiling for the Cuban Olympian.
