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UFC 298: Sean O'Malley vs. Marlon Vera continues on the prelims with a fight in the heavyweight division between promotional newcomer Robelis Despaigne and Josh Parisian. Despaigne has won all four of his fights emphatically by knockout and will be looking to make it five in a row this weekend meanwhile, Parisian is now on a two-fight skid fighting for his career when he heads into the octagon at UFC 299. With that said, check out our UFC odds series for our Despaigne-Parisian prediction and pick.
Robelis Despaigne (4-0) is a 6'7″ former Cuban Bronze Olympic Medalist in Taekwondo who has been making waves on the regional scene. He has dispatched all four of his opponents in round one with his last three knockouts coming in just a combined 19 seconds. He will be looking to make a good first impression when he steps inside the octagon for the first time this weekend at UFC 299 against Josh Parisian.
Josh Parisian (15-7) is currently in a slump after losing back-to-back fights, most recently getting submitted in round one against Martin Buday. He is a seasoned veteran whose UFC career could be on the line this weekend as he looks to derail the massive hype train that is Robelis Despaigne this weekend at UFC 299.
Here are the UFC Odds, courtesy of BetOnline.
UFC 299 Odds: Robelis Despaigne-Josh Parisian Odds
Robelis Despaigne: -330
Josh Parisian: +270
Over 1.5 rounds: +225
Under 1.5 rounds: -285
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Why Robelis Despaigne Will Win
Robelis Despaigne is a behemoth heavyweight prospect standing in at 6'7″ with a reach of 87″ which would be the largest reach on the current UFC roster. He started training Taekwondo at age 9 in his native Cuba where he competed in the 2012 Olympic games and captured a Bronze medal in the heavyweight class. After his love of Taekwondo started to fade, he picked up MMA per his coach's request and never looked back as he has now four blistering knockouts in four professional fights. He will take on his stiffest competition to date when he steps inside the octagon for the first time to take on Josh Parisian.
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Despaigne is honestly a freak of nature. There aren't many human beings on the planet with his type of build with the one-punch knockout ability. He is still very new to MMA and hasn't been tested against UFC-level talent yet but if he can land on Parisian in this fight it could be over in a blink of an eye. As long as Despaigne can keep this fight on the feet and at his range we can potentially see another highlight-reel knockout which should have the fans in attendance go bizerk.
Why Josh Parisian Will Win
Josh Parisian secured his contract after a dominant first-round TKO finish of Chad Johnson on the Contender Series in 2020. Since that Contender Series victory and obtaining that UFC contract, Parisian has just gone 2-4 and has most recently lost back-to-back fights against Martin Buday and Jamal Pogues. He will be fighting for his UFC career when he takes on promotional newcomer Robelis Despaigne at UFC 299.
While Parisian isn't a terrible striker by any stretch, he's going to be at a massive disadvantage on the feet against Despaigne. He will be at the end of an 8″ reach discrepancy which is by far the most he's ever had to deal with in a fight before. Parisian will need someone how to get inside reach of Despaigne without getting clipped and take this fight to the mat where Despaigne has never been before. It's up to Parisian to score the colossal upset to keep his UFC hopes alive.
Final Robelis Despaigne-Josh Parisian Prediction & Pick
This should be an absolute barnburner for however long it lasts. On paper, Parisian is the far more technical MMA fighter who has more tools to get it done but Despaigne has that X-factor which is his insane intangibles and power. However, if Parisian can somehow get a hold of Despaigne and drag him to the mat he could potentially score the biggest upset at UFC 299. With that said, this fight looks to be a setup for the newcomer Robellis Despaigne to continue his winning ways but it certainly will not be an easy won, expect him to fight through a bit of adversity early only to end Parisian with another highlight-reel knockout midway through round one, cementing himself as someone to watch out for in the heavyweight division.
Click here for more betting news and predictions
Final Robelis Despaigne-Ilia Topuria Prediction & Pick: Robelis Despaigne (-330), Under 1.5 Rounds (-285)
