UFC veteran Robelis Despaigne was the favorite to win the Karate Combat one-night, 8-man heavyweight tournament Friday night in Miami, and he scored three victories to earn a shot at company champion Sam Alvey.
Despaigne, who was 3-0 in the promotion with a trio of knockouts in a combined time of 24 seconds, kicked off with a decision win over former GLORY champion Saulo Cavalari, while Tim Johnson advanced to the semifinal match with a 15-second knockout over Chase Sherman.
Despaigne went back to his lightning-quick finishes next, flooring Johnson in just 10 seconds to earn a spot in the final.
On the other side of the grand prix bracket, Zac Pauga stopped Alan Belcher via TKO before defeating Daniel James via decision in the semifinal match.
Despaigne and Pauge went to war in a battle of former UFC heavyweights in the grand finale, and the Olympic medalist in taekwondo shut Pauga’s right eye after the opening round, forcing the doctors to stop the match in between rounds to crown him the winner.
Despaigne will now face Sam Alvey for the heavyweight championship in a yet-to-be-announced event.
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