Despaigne knocks out dos Santos in Netflix MMA debut

Robelis Despaigne secured a first-round knockout victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos during the inaugural mixed martial arts broadcast on Netflix. The event, titled MVP MMA 1, took place on Saturday, 16 May 2026, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The bout served as the opening fight for a card headlined by Ronda Rousey versus Gina Carano.

Despaigne defeated dos Santos at the 2:59 mark of Round 1 with a series of punches. The Cuban fighter, who stands at 6-foot-7 and is an Olympic taekwondo bronze medalist, entered the contest with a 6-2 MMA record. He had previously won the Karate Combat heavyweight championship with a 7-0 record before returning to MMA for this debut on the streaming platform.

For dos Santos, the result marks a potentially brutal end to a decorated career. The 42-year-old former champion had not competed in a gloved MMA bout since losing five consecutive fights by TKO prior to winning two bare-knuckle bouts in 2023-24. His last victory in the sport came during that bare-knuckle period, ending a long absence from the gloved cage.

Following the victory, Despaigne called out fellow former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who is scheduled to fight Philipe Lins on the same card. Despaigne stated, “Francis, I want you next,” without the need for a translator. He also indicated an intention to continue competing in both MMA and Karate Combat.

The event marks the debut of MVP MMA, a promotion led by Jake Paul and associates, aiming to establish credibility in the global mixed martial arts market. Other confirmed results from the card included Jason Jackson defeating Jeff Creighton via first-round knockout, David Mgoyan winning against Albert Morales via unanimous decision, Aline Pereira securing a split-decision victory over Jade Masson-Wong, and Brandon Jenkins winning via split decision against Chris Avila. The co-main event featured a 170 lbs bout between former UFC fighters Nate Diaz and Mike Perry.

In 2011, Junior dos Santos made history by knocking out Cain Velasquez in 64 seconds to capture the UFC heavyweight title in the first-ever UFC bout aired live on FOX. Nearly 15 years later, the tables turned as dos Santos suffered a first-round knockout loss in the first-ever MMA fight broadcast on Netflix. Despaigne, who had been released by the UFC in 2024 after back-to-back defeats, used the platform to announce his next target.