Robelis Despaigne Ethnicity

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has a talented newcomer in their heavyweight division in the form of Robelis “The Big Boy” Despaigne. Known for his height and long arms, along with his black belt in taekwondo, he has been a dominant force throughout his MMA career as of 2024. He is also a former bronze medalist taekwondo at the 2012 Olympic Games.

Since making his debut at UFC 299: O’Malley vs Vera 2 on March 9, 2024, Robelis Despaigne has also displayed his dominance inside the Octagon against Josh Parisian. His MMA and taekwondo skills provided him with his first Performance of the Night bonus. Moreover, he was also awarded with the honor of being a newcomer with the second quickest finish in the history of the UFC. The Big Boy has since been training at the MMA Temple in Florida for his second fight in the promotion.

The Big Boy will look forward to adding another win in his undefeated streak when he goes toe to toe with Waldo “Salsa Boy” Cortes-Acosta at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs Nascimento (UFC on ESPN 56) on March 9, 2024.

Robelis Despaigne’s Ethnicity

Robelis Despaigne is originally from Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. However, there is no information about his ethnicity available in the public domain as of May 2024.

What is the nationality of Robelis Despaigne?

Robelis Despaigne is a Cuban national. Born on September 9, 1988, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, he spent his early years in the country as a taekwondo practitioner. He was a member of Cuba's national taekwondo team for fifteen years. He represented Cuba at the 2012 Olympic Games in London and received a bronze medal. Unfortunately, the condition of sports changed in Cuba after that and Robelis Despaigne claimed that he was not happy with the changes and, as a result, was losing his love for taekwondo. Then, his coach suggested that he start practicing MMA and although he was initially in doubt, watching MMA videos helped him realize that he has potential in the sport. Thus, he decided to change his sport from taekwondo to MMA.

Despite this, Despaigne still represented Cuba in taekwondo in several other international tournaments. His most notable achievement is a gold medal from the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz, Mexico.