Tonight's MVP MMA main card fights on Netflix get started with a heavyweight bout between Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne on Saturday, May 16.
Former two-time UFC heavyweight title challenger dos Santos returns to an MMA cage on the Rousey vs. Carano main card as he battles a fellow promotional alum, Cuba’s Robelis Despaigne, in what is sure to be an action-packed bout on Netflix tonight.
Below, we'll break down our Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne prediction, preview, and the favorite for this main card fight expected to start at 9 p.m. EST on Netflix. Let's get into this heavyweight bout.
Make your Netflix fight predictions on PrizePicks tonight and earn money if you’re right — including dos Santos vs. Despaigne
{{ufc_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne Prediction, Payouts for Netflix MVP MMA Tonight
Famous MMA stars of the past, present, and future will take to the world’s largest streaming platform to bottle the elite production quality that Paul’s boxing events have produced and translate them to a cage.
The Netflix main card gets started with Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne at 9 p.m. ET tonight in a 15-minute fight — 3 rounds, 5 minutes each.
Despaigne enters as a massive favorite, with a 1.31x payout if he wins. Below are the payouts for the dos Santos vs. Robelis fight winner, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
Numbers represent real-money payout multipliers; for example, a 2x pick pays out $200 on $100 if you're right.
- Junior dos Santos: 3.22x to win
- Robelis Despaigne: 1.31x to win
Here are the payouts for most likely Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne method of victory picks on PrizePicks Team Picks — where you can earn money if your fight predictions are right!
- Despaigne by KO/TKO/DQ: Yes 1.47x | No 2.56x
- Dos Santos by KO/TKO/DQ: Yes 5.26x | No 1.13x
- Despaigne by decision: Yes 9.09x | No 1.03x
- Dos Santos by decision: Yes 10x | No 1.03x
Team Picks payouts are live at the time of writing and are subject to change. A lower payout multiplier signals a higher implied probability of that result based on user picks; a 1.5x payout is more likely than a 2x payout, which is more likely than a 4x payout, and so on.
Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne Fight Preview Tonight on Netflix
It’s always good to see UFC alumni thriving into their 40s, and Brazil’s Junior dos Santos has still been collecting dubs in an unlikely setting.
He’s now 2-0 in Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) after wins over other former promotional participants, Fabricio Werdum and Alan Belcher. The win over Belcher was particularly dominant.
The technical, efficient “Cigano” dos Santos still trains at American Top Team in South Florida.
Heavyweights fight into their 40s often, and all eight of his losses came to top-10 heavyweights when they happened. He might still have it.
Karate specialist Robelis Despaigne will try to test that. Despaigne won bronze in the 2012 Olympics for Cuba in the sport, and the fearsome, one-shot puncher and/or kicker began four of his first five pro MMA bouts with wins inside of 20 seconds. It was too easy for him.
UFC humbled “The Big Boy” Despaigne by way of takedown defense as he permitted six takedowns in his final six rounds — and lost all of them. After averaging just 0.30 takedowns landed per 15 minutes in UFC, dos Santos should bring the fight to Despaigne where he can win it, with takedowns.
This could very much be a tortoise racing a hair. While dos Santos’ one-shot power isn’t as large, can he find a way to land in combination? Does Despaigne find the hammer on a 42-year-old opponent?
{{ufc_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
How Junior dos Santos Wins vs. Robelis Despaigne
This might seem like an outlandish statement for a distant underdog, but dos Santos has been the better pure MMA fighter in his career.
You’re talking about a combatant who won 6 UFC bouts and 1 BKFC bout by a full decision – many of which came in a full 25 minutes. He’s used to picking hit shots, countering, and sneaking rounds on points. Despaigne’s karate-based style is extremely low volume, and he’s got virtually no ground game at all.
The key to victory for dos Santos is prolonging this fight. Including karate, 8 of his 14 pro fights have ended inside 30 seconds. Though Despaigne has managed wins in a karate pit, MMA has been a disaster outside of the first few minutes. JDS has a real opportunity to use his championship-level experience in this one.
Pick Junior dos Santos to win vs. Robelis Despaigne on PrizePicks in Netlifx's MVP MMA 1
How Robelis Despaigne Wins vs. Junior dos Santos
Despaigne has just one key to victory. His standing as a favorite shows just how good he is at finding it.
The Cuban’s entire fighting style at such a massive, 6-foot-7 frame is based on early dominance and power. Luckily for him, dos Santos isn’t exactly the most reliable customer given his age and attrition. He’s up to eight career knockout losses.
In deeper waters, Despaigne can still win rounds with one powerful strike. He needs to ensure he’s throwing with enough volume to not slip behind dos Santos on the scorecards if this surprises everyone to last outside the first frame.
Pick Robelis Despaigne to win vs. Junior Dos Santos on PrizePicks on Netlifx tonight
dos Santos vs. Despaigne Prediction for Netflix MVP MMA 1 Main Card
Robelis Despaigne’s last pro MMA fight was in October 2024, so it hasn’t been forever since we saw him on UFC cards. I believe that’s why many believe he’ll find the button in short order.
This is an MMA bout under unified MMA rules, though. In those settings in his final two starts, Despaigne spent 18:47 of a possible 30:00 on the ground in his opponent’s control. Junior dos Santos might not be a supreme wrestling threat, but he’s well-trained at American Top Team if one single takedown might allow him to win the round, sap Despaigne’s power, and push himself closer to victory.
Despaigne landed just 2.11 significant strikes per minute in UFC compared to dos Santos’ 4.49, too. If this fight takes any sort of measured cadence, it’s probably the underdog pulling ahead on the cards.
Though the early storm absolutely favors Despaigne against an eroded, aging foe, it’s very possible that dos Santos weathers said storm and reminds MMA fans why he challenged for a world title.
Make Your dos Santos vs. Despaigne Pick on PrizePicks
{{ufc_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Make Your Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne Prediction on PrizePicks
MVP MMA 1’s main card gets underway with dos Santos vs. Despaigne — two former UFC heavyweights — expected to start at 9 p.m. ET tonight. The fights go down this Saturday from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, headlined by Ronda Rousey vs. Gina Carano.
Before the dos Santos vs. Despaigne fight gets underway on Netflix, lock in your MMA predictions for the fight on PrizePicks!
Head over to the PrizePicks app and pick More or Less on two or more fighter projections for dos Santos vs. Despaigne, and lock in your Lineup to win real money on the fights if you're right. You can also predict MMA fight winners, method of victory, and more on PrizePicks Team Picks, now available in 35 states.
Find more MMA MVP predictions and picks here for every fight on the main card tonight.
