Heavyweight slugger Robelis Despaigne explained what the keys to victory are if he fights Francis Ngannou in MVP MMA.
Despaigne knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos last Saturday at MVP MMA: Rousey vs. Carano. It was a spectacular finish by Despaigne, who was fighting in MMA for the first time since the UFC cut him two years ago after a 1-2 record in the Octagon. Since leaving the UFC, Despaigne has been competing for Karate Combat, where he holds a perfect 7-0 record with six knockouts. Against dos Santos, he showed that he can still win MMA fights when he brutally knocked out the former UFC champ in the first round.
Now, he has his sights set on another UFC heavyweight champ in Ngannou, who brutally knocked out Philipe Lins in the co-main event of MVP MMA’s first event on Netflix.
Robelis Despaigne Explains How to Beat Francis Ngannou
Following his win over dos Santos at MVP MMA, Despaigne called out Ngannou to a fight in the promotion. Speaking to MMAjunkie.com, Despaigne explained how he would go about defeating the former UFC heavyweight champion, Ngannou. While he knows it would be a difficult fight, he also believes he has the skills necessary to win.
“He’s fought against fighters who are very stationary; I move a lot, and I know that will be my key to get the win. I also have, maybe not as much as him, but I also have knockout power. The knockout power you need to have at the top level in this weight. I think that’s one of the avenues to have success against Francis,” Despaigne said.
Robelis Despaigne Belives Francis Ngannou Has Improved Since Leaving the UFC
While Despaigne believes he has improved since he left the UFC, he also believes that Ngannou has, too. He was impressed by Ngannou’s boxing in his matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and he’s also noticed that Ngannou has kicked more in his MMA fights.
“It’s very good. If you see him now, he’s using kicks and trying to kick low and high, and he’s doing it well. He also kicks very hard. I saw he did a low kick, and he buckled (Lins). Against Renan (Ferreira), he did the same. We already know his level of boxing. He’s fought Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, and his boxing looked good. He also has crazy power above all else. He’s been gaining experience and becoming a more complete fighter,” Despaigne said.
For MVP MMA, a Ngannou vs. Despaigne fight is the easy booking, and it makes a lot of sense. Although Ngannou would rather fight Jon Jones, it will be difficult for Jones to get out of his UFC contract. Meanwhile, MVP MMA has both Ngannou and Despaigne available to fight for the promotion at any time. It would be an exciting heavyweight bout between two big strikers with huge KO power, and the fans would surely be the big winners if this fight ends up taking place.
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