Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran and reigning Karate Combat Heavyweight champion Sam Alvey will defend his belt against fellow UFC alum Robelis Despaigne in the main event of Karate Combat 58 on Fri., Dec. 5, 2025, in Miami.
Alvey fought just once this year, but it was a memorable one. “Smilin’ Sam” shocked the odds by knocking out kickboxing legend Tyrone Spong in the second round as a +335 underdog to retain his title for the second time (watch highlights). He originally captured the belt by defeating Ross Levine and has since revived his career inside the KC Pit, going 4-1 with three knockouts since his UFC release following an eight-fight losing skid.
But Alvey now faces arguably his scariest test.
Despaigne, like Alvey, washed out of the UFC after a 1-2 run, but has become a monster under the Karate Combat ruleset. “Big Boy” knocked out his first three KC opponents in a combined 30 seconds, then punched his ticket to a title shot by winning a one-night Heavyweight tournament that saw him finish Saulo Cavalari, Tim Johnson and Zac Pauga (watch highlights).
In addition to the mega Heavyweight title fight, a few other fun matchups were announced.
Oussama Assli vs. James Honey – for the Welterweight title
Chris Barnett vs. Johnathan Miller
Lorenz Larkin vs. Vanilto Antunes
Jayden Eynaud vs. Rafael Carvalho
Oscar Remihana vs. Brandon Jenkins
Namo Fazil vs. Guilherme Teixeira
Erko Jun vs. Monte Deon Ogbonna
Debora Evora vs. Erica Santos
Claudio Ribeiro vs. Sergey Ponomarev
Karate Combat 58 will stream for free on YouTube next Friday.
