Robelis Despaigne Edges Tai Tuivasa, Extends UFC Skid to 8

Robelis Despaigne wasn't supposed to be here. The towering Cuban heavyweight had already fought in the UFC, lost, and been cut loose. Then he knocked off former champion Junior dos Santos, got the invite back, and made it count on Saturday night — grinding out a split-decision win over Tai Tuivasa on the UFC 331 preliminary card in Los Angeles.

It wasn't a highlight-reel performance. Two judges saw it 29-28 for Despaigne, one had it 29-28 for Tuivasa, and the split nod pushed the returning big man to 7-2 as a pro. For Tuivasa, the loss is far more damning: it's his eighth straight defeat inside the octagon and drops him to 14-11 overall.

How It Played Out

Despaigne fought the fight you'd expect from a man built the way he is. He leaned on size and power, dragging Tuivasa to the canvas with a string of takedowns and then using his sheer frame to smother the Australian on the ground.

When the two did decide to trade, Despaigne got the better of the exchanges, landing heavy shots that left Tuivasa bleeding by the later stages. There was no submission threat, no finishing sequence — just three rounds of a bigger man imposing himself and doing enough to sway two of the three cards.

That's been the Despaigne formula throughout his run: overwhelm rather than outclass. He didn't show any obvious technical growth from his earlier UFC stint, but he didn't need to. Against a fighter mired in a slump this deep, control time and raw power were enough.

Tuivasa's Free Fall

The Tuivasa story is now hard to spin any way but bleak. This is a man who once ripped off a five-fight winning streak and headlined cards on the back of viral 'shoey' celebrations. That fighter feels like a distant memory.

Eight losses in a row is the kind of number that ends UFC tenures. Tuivasa's finishing power was always his calling card, but power doesn't matter much when you're being taken down and pinned. His path back to relevance — or even to a roster spot — looks razor thin right now.

For a division that's short on genuine contenders behind the elite, the losing streak is a shame. But the promotion has shown limited patience with skids far shorter than this one.

What Comes Next

Despaigne, meanwhile, gets to keep building. The win over dos Santos bought him the ticket back; this result buys him a little runway. He's still raw and still reliant on physical gifts over polish, but at heavyweight, a giant who can wrestle and hit hard is always going to draw matchups.

The obvious next step is a step up in competition to see whether the size advantage translates against a more mobile, more technical opponent. That's where his ceiling gets tested — because the man-mountain approach only works until someone forces him to fight off his back foot.

As for Tuivasa, the sensible read is that a decision about his future is coming, and it may not be his to make. Eight straight is a lot to walk back from at 33 fights deep into a career that once had genuine main-event heat.