Robelis Despaigne Takes Split Decision Over Tai Tuivasa at UFC 331
Robelis Despaigne is back in the win column, and Tai Tuivasa is still looking for one.
The 6-foot-7 Cuban heavyweight earned a split decision on Saturday at UFC 331 inside Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The judges scored it 29-28, 28-29, and 29-28. Two cards went to Despaigne. One went to Tuivasa.
It was Despaigne’s first UFC fight since 2024. The promotion had released him after unanimous-decision losses to Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Austen Lane.
A knockout of former champion Junior dos Santos outside the UFC brought him back. Saturday was the first test of that second run.
Despaigne used size more than flash. He landed takedowns, held Tuivasa on the canvas, and threw enough ground strikes to open a cut.
Tuivasa came forward and traded when the fight stayed standing. He also spent stretches on the fence without turning that control into a finish.
The Australian entered the night on a long slide. The loss made it eight UFC defeats in a row and dropped him to 14-11 overall.
That streak now matches the eight-fight skid Tony Ferguson finished before leaving the roster. Tuivasa had moved to American Top Team before this booking. The change did not stop the result.
His last UFC wins feel distant. The power that once put Andrei Arlovski and a line of heavyweights on the floor has not produced a stoppage through this stretch.
Despaigne moved to 7-2. He is 38 and still fights like a man who trusts a left hook and a body lock more than a five-round plan.
The fight was not clean. Both men missed, clinched, and reset. The difference was Despaigne’s ability to put Tuivasa on his back and keep him there long enough for two judges.
Heavyweight depth is thin enough that a split decision still matters. For Despaigne, it is proof the second chance was not wasted on night one.
For Tuivasa, it is another night that ends with someone else’s hand raised. Eight straight losses at this level usually forces a hard conversation about what comes next.
No rematch or ranked follow-up has been announced. Despaigne leaves Los Angeles 1-0 in his return. Tuivasa leaves still searching for the version of Bam Bam that used to end fights in a hurry.