News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tuesday. October 22, 2024: Despite being relatively new to the world of sports, Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has already produced some legendary fighters. During MMA’s 28-year history as a professional sport, many athletes have entered the ring, including a growing number of Caribbean fighters (some Jamaican) who have made their mark on the UFC roster.
The rise of MMA and the introduction of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993 quickly positioned the sport as a competitor to boxing in terms of audience and fighter recognition. MMA gained widespread attention in 2005 when it debuted on television, sparking a surge of global interest that extended to the Caribbean.
Today, UFC reaches viewers in 165 countries through more than 60 global broadcast partners and is available in over 40 languages. With 40% of its audience made up of millennials, the UFC stands out as one of the most popular sports among younger generations. As the UFC continues its quest to crown the ultimate fighting champion, many Caribbean fighters have earned places among the greatest MMA competitors of all time. Although thousands of athletes have competed in MMA and UFC since the sport’s inception, some Caribbean fighters stand out as particularly important.
Robelis Despaigne
Robelis Despaigne Sanquet is a Cuban professional mixed martial artist and former taekwondo practitioner who currently competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Despaigne is a decorated athlete, having won a bronze medal in Taekwondo at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the men’s 80 kg category.
Despaigne made his MMA debut on June 3, 2022, at Titan FC 77, where he defeated Katuma Mulumba via TKO at the end of the first round. He continued his rise in 2023, securing three knockout victories, each in less than 20 seconds.
In December 2023, Despaigne was signed by the UFC. He made an impressive debut at UFC 299 on March 9, 2024, where he knocked out Josh Parisian just 18 seconds into the first round, earning him the Performance of the Night award.
Despaigne returned to the Octagon on May 11, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 56, against Waldo Cortes-Acosta, but lost by unanimous decision. On October 19, 2024, he competed again at UFC Fight Night 245, where he suffered another unanimous decision loss, this time to Austen Lane.
Jairzinho Rozenstruik
Jairzinho Rozenstruik is a Surinamese mixed martial artist and former kickboxer who competes in the heavyweight division of the UFC. Known for his explosive power, Rozenstruik holds the record for the second-fastest knockout in UFC heavyweight history, defeating Allen Crowder in just nine seconds at UFC Fight Night 154. A former heavyweight tournament champion of WLF heavyweights, Rozenstruik has notable wins over fighters like Junior dos Santos and Tai Tuivasa. As of August 27, 2024, he is ranked #9 in the UFC heavyweight division.
Ode to my Osbourne
Ode’ Omaani Osbourne (born January 9, 1992) is a Jamaican MMA fighter who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Osbourne began his MMA journey in 2013, training at a small gym in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He made his professional debut in 2015 at NAFC: Explosion, submitting Brent Lee in the second round. Over the next several years, Osbourne experienced a mix of wins and losses, including wins via submission and TKO in various promotions such as Pure Fighting Championship and HD MMA.
Dana White Contender Series
In 2019, Osbourne earned a UFC contract after submitting Armando Villarreal via first-round armbar at Dana White’s Contender 20 Series.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship
Osbourne made his UFC debut on January 18, 2020, at UFC 246, but lost to Brian Kelleher via first-round submission. He bounced back with a knockout win over Jerome Rivera in February 2021. In subsequent bouts, Osbourne went on a win-loss streak, including a knockout win over Zarukh Adashev in June 2022, which earned him a “Performance of Night”.
In 2023 and 2024, Osbourne had a string of tough fights, losing by submission to Asu Almabayev and Jafel Filho, and most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Ronaldo Rodríguez in September 2024 at UFC 306.
Eddie Gordon
Eddie Gordon is a mixed martial artist born in Montego Bay, Jamaica who most recently competed in the middleweight division of the Professional Fighters League. A professional fighter since 2011, Gordon has also competed in the UFC and earned recognition as a winner of the Ultimate Warrior: Team Edgar vs. Team Penn.
Leon ‘Rocky’ Edwards
Leon Edwards is a Jamaican-born professional mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC lightweight champion and has been a professional competitor since 2011. Edwards previously competed for BAMMA, where he held the lightweight title. As of July 30, 2024, he is ranked #1 in the UFC welterweight division and #9 in the UFC men’s pound-for-pound rankings as of August 27, 2024.
Jason Jackson
Jason Jackson, born in Spanish Town, Jamaica, is a Jamaican mixed martial artist who competes in the Welterweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is a former Bellator Welterweight Champion. A pro since 2012, Jackson has also wrestled in Titan FC and Legacy Fighting Alliance, and appeared in The Ultimate Fighter: American Top Team vs Blackzilians.
Jackson made his Bellator debut on August 17, 2018, defeating Jordon Larson by first-round TKO. After stints in other promotions, Jackson returned to Bellator, facing Ed Ruth at Bellator 231, where he lost by a controversial split decision. He followed that up with wins over Kiichi Kunimoto, Jordan Mein and former UFC champion Benson Henderson.
Jackson continued his winning streak, defeating Neiman Gracie and Paul Daley by unanimous decision. In 2022, he faced former Bellator Welterweight champion Douglas Lima, winning the bout by unanimous decision.
In a major upset, Jackson won the Bellator Welterweight Championship on November 17, 2023, at Bellator 301, defeating previously undefeated Yaroslav Amosov by third-round knockout. In 2024, Jackson won a non-title crossover fight against Ray Cooper III in the PFL against Bellator, but later lost his title to Ramazan Kuramagomedov on June 22, 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 3, by unanimous decision.
Caribbean MMA fighters on the rise
Tapology, the online MMA ranking network, has also ranked some highly rated Caribbean amateurs to watch on the MMA scene; from Jamaican Omar Smith, ranked number one in the featherweight class, to DR born Rafi Peralta, ranked number one in the Bantamweight class and Luis De Jesus, ranked number one in the Flyweight class.
Looking to keep an eye on the MMA rankings? Tapology is your favorite resource. It formulates the current real-time MMA rankings based on geographic eligibility, weight classes, bout wins and losses, opponents, fight frequency and experience.
In summary
Despite being a relatively new sport compared to the history of some others, MMA has brought a significant number of fighters and champions to the scene. MMA has proven its worth on the fighting field, and Caribbean-born fighters are making names for themselves among some of the sport’s greatest. Keep an eye out for our well-known pros as well as amateurs working their way up the ranks.
