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Karate Combat returns to Miami for a loaded one-night eight-man heavyweight tournament with ultimate bragging rights and a shot at reigning heavyweight champion ‘Smilin’ Sam Alvey hanging in the balance.
KC55 will see a slew of former UFC heavyweight standouts making their promotional debut, including Zac Pauga, Chase Sherman, and Tim Johnson. Also featured will be ex-BKFC heavyweight titleholder Alan Belcher and Cuban knockout artist Robelis Despaigne, who has been stacking bodies inside The Pit since making his Karate Combat debut in December.
Prelim 1 – Robelis Despaigne vs. Saulo Cavalari
Cavalari looked absolutely terrified from the opening bell, dancing around The Pit and biting on every feint that Despaign threw his way. Despaigne landed some solid straight shots, including an especially nasty uppercut. Still, Cavalari’s chin held up, allowing him to survive the opening round and take Despaigne to the second stanza for the first time in his KC career.
After getting a bit of a confidence boost in the first, Cavalari came out swinging in the second. However, it was Despaigne who controlled the action and landed the more significant strikes, solidifying himself a decision victory on the scorecards and moving onto the second round of the ‘Last Man Standing’ tournament.
Official Result: Robelis Despaigne def. Saulo Cavalari via unanimous decision.
Prelim 2 – Tim Johnson vs. Chase Sherman
Tim Johnson gets us our first finish of the night, landing a left hook that dropped Sherman early. After a slew of ground-and-pound shots, the referee stepped in and called for the stoppage.
Official Result: Tim Johnson def. Chase Sherman via TKO in Round 1.
Prelim 3 – Zac Pauga vs. Alan Belcher
Zac Pauga gave us another quick finish in the third prelim bout, landing a left behind Belcher’s ear that appeared to put the former bare-knuckle brawler out. After a few follow-up hammer fists, that was all she wrote.
Official Result: Zac Pauga def. Alan Belcher via TKO in Round 1.
Prelim 4 – Daniel James vs. Braxton Smith
Daniel James kept the finishes coming in the final prelim bout of the evening. Early in the opening round, James connected with a right hand behind the ear that sent Smith crashing to the canvas. James dropped some devastating strikes on the ground, including a couple of nasty elbows. Before long, the referee stepped in, saving Smith from taking any further damage and giving us our third straight first-round stoppage.
Official Result: Daniel James def. Braxton Smith via TKO in Round 1.
Semifinal 1 – Robelis Despaigne vs. Tim Johnson
Despaigne may not have gotten a finish in his first fight, but he wasted no time putting away Johnson in their semifinal scrap. Despaigne appeared to rock Johnson with a high kick, followed up by a right hand that face-planted the Minnesota native. Johnson quickly covered up as Despaigne unleashed a few ground strikes, forcing the referee to stop the scrap.
Official Result: Robelis Despaigne def. Tim Johnson via TKO in Round 1.
Semifinal 2 – Zac Pauga vs. Daniel James
It appeared to be all over for Pauga with just over a minute left in the opening round after James connected with a flurry of strikes that put the ex-UFC standout on the mat. James dropped a series of bombs, trying desperately to finish things, but Pauga survived the onslaught, making it back to his feet and out of the round.
After an exhausting first round, neither fighter could put much power behind their shots in the second. However, it was Pauga who was the more active fighter, tying up the scorecards and sending us to a sudden-death third round.
With both fighters sucking wind and potentially saving their energy for the tournament final, the offense was few and far between in the final three minutes. The momentum that Pauga built in the second appeared to carry over in the third, pinning James against The Pit wall and landing some solid strikes. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure a stoppage, sending us to the scorecards for the second time in the tournament.
Official Result: Zac Pauga def. Daniel James via unanimous decision.
Karate Combat ‘last Man Standing’ Heavyweight Tournament Final – Robelis Despaigne vs. Zac Pauga
Pauga came out swinging early, looking to close the distance, but it was Despaigne who got the best of the American, landing some stiff shots against the wall. But just as Pauga did against Daniel James, he weathered an early storm and continued to move forward, undeterred by Despaigne’s imposing stature.
Pauga made it through the first round, but his right eye was swollen shut, forcing the physician to take a closer look in between rounds. Sadly, that would be where the fight ends, as the doctor saw something with Pauga’s eye that caused concern.
Official Result: Robelis Despaigne def. Zac Pauga via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) in Round 1.
Winning three fights in a single night, Despaigne has earned an opportunity to challenge Sam Alvey, the reigning Karate Combat heavyweight champion.
Check out the full event via Karate Combat’s official YouTube channel below:
