MMA Preview – Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs Robelis Despaigne at UFC on ESPN 56
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WALDO CORTES-ACOSTA VS ROBELIS DESPAIGNE FACTS
When is UFC on ESPN 56? Saturday 11th May, 2024 - 22:00 (UK)
Where is UFC on ESPN 56? Enterprise Center, St. Louis, Missouri (US)
Where can I get tickets for UFC on ESPN 56? Click here to buy tickets for UFC on ESPN
What channel is UFC on ESPN 56 on? TNT Sports 2
Where can I stream UFC on ESPN 56? TNT Sports subscribers can stream the fight online via the TNT Sports website and Discovery+
For viewers in the United States, the event will be shown live on ESPN+ and you can sign up for access as part of a Disney Bundle here!
WALDO CORTES-ACOSTA VS ROBELIS DESPAIGNE LOWDOWN
Waldo Cortes-Acosta (11-1) has enjoyed a very familiar UFC heavyweight induction for the most part. He picked up two routine wins over Jared Vanderaa (2022) and Chase Sherman (2022) before suffering his first loss to Marcos Rogerio de Lima (2023) via unanimous decision. He has bounced back with a knockout over Lukasz Brzeski (2023) and another unanimous decision over Andrei Arlovski (2024).
Robelis Despaigne (5-0) is anything but familiar. The taekwondo Olympian made his MMA debut in 2022 for Titan FC where he earnt a knockout at the end of the first round. Since then, he has buried four more victims in a total time of 37 seconds which included Josh Parisian (2024) at UFC 299.
WALDO CORTES-ACOSTA VS ROBELIS DESPAIGNE PREDICTION
Despaigne will either look like a killer or get humbled here. He is a scary and dynamic striker with the largest reach we have ever seen in the UFC. He will boast a six-inch reach and three-inch height advantage which he will leverage by swinging wildly from across the cage.
Cortes-Acosta is more calculated and if he can get out of the first round, he can expose how small the Cuban’s gas tank is. We can see it draining in the third round meaning Cortes-Acosta could have his way with him.
However, we do not expect this to go past the first round and with Despaigne finding the chin with one of his go-go gadjet limbs.
Prediction: Despaigne via KO/TKO
Value bet: Cortes-Acosta via KO/TKO
