Yorgan De Castro (born December 19, 1987) is a Cape Verdean professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the Heavyweight division of

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

(PFL). He is most notable for fighting in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Background

Castro was born and raised in the island of St. Vincent, Cape Verde. At 18 years old he moved to Portugal and started kickboxing training, making his official fighting debut only 6 months after. He dreamed of one day fighting in the big kickboxing promotions K-1 and Glory but never believed it would be possible in Portugal. Later moving to the US to be with his family, his uncle convinced him to train at Lauzon MMA, owned by the current UFC Fighter

Joe Lauzon Joseph Edward Lauzon Jr. (born May 22, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, competing in the UFC's Lightweight division. A well-rounded fighter, he has the fourth most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history, behind Donald Ce ...

, where he discovered MMA and started training.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Starting his career in 2017, Castro compiled a 4-0 record fighting mainly for CES MMA. He was invited on Dana White's Contender Series 17 in order to compete for a UFC contract, which successfully gained through a TKO victory against Sanford Alton Meeks

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Castro made his UFC debut at

UFC 243 ''UFC 243: Whittaker vs. Adesanya'' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 6, 2019, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Background The event was the ...

on October 6, 2019 against

Justin Tafa Justin Tafa (born December 13, 1993) is a New Zealand-born Australian mixed martial arts fighter of Samoan heritage, currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Early life Tafa was born in Auckland, Ne ...

. He won the fight in the first round via knockout. This win earned him the ''

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' bonus as well. Castro was initially scheduled to face Greg Hardy on March 28, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Ngannou vs. Rozenstruik. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the event was eventually postponed . However, on April 9,

Dana White Dana Frederick White Jr. (born July 28, 1969) is an American businessman who serves as president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a global mixed martial arts organization. In August 2019, White's net worth was estimated at $500 milli ...

, the president of UFC announced that this event was postponed and the bout eventually took place on May 9, 2020. Castro lost the fight via unanimous decision. Castro was briefly linked to a heavyweight bout on October 4, 2020 with Ben Sosoli at UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana. However, Sosoli pulled out of the fight in late July citing an eye surgery and was replaced by

Carlos Felipe Carlos Felipe (born January 12, 1995) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competed in the Heavyweight division. A professional since 2014, he most notably fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Born in Feira de San ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Castro faced

Jarjis Danho Jarjis Danho (born October 15, 1983) is a German professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Danho is an Orthodox Christian Assyrian. His family fled to Ge ...

on April 10, 2021 at

UFC on ABC 2 ''UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland'' (also known as ''UFC on ABC 2'' and ''UFC Vegas 23'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 10, 2021 at the UFC Apex facility in Enterprise, N ...

. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. On April 30, 2021, it was revealed that Castro was no longer with the UFC.

Post UFC

Castro was scheduled to make his first appearance after his UFC release against Rakim Cleveland on August 6, 2021 at CES 63. However, Castro announced that he had withdrawn from the bout due to family issues. Castro faced Danyelle Williams on November 7, 2021 at CES 65. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Eagle Fighting Championship

Castro signed a multi-fight contract with

Eagle Fighting Championship Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC), commonly referred to as Eagle FC, is a Russian mixed martial arts promoter (entertainment), promotion company established in 2020 by former UFC Lightweight Championship, UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagome ...

and debuted against Shaun Asher on January 28, 2022 at Eagle FC 44. He won the fight via guillotine choke in the first round. Castro headlined against

Junior dos Santos Junior dos Santos (; born 30 January 1984) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional wrestler who competes in the Heavyweight division of Eagle FC. As a mixed martial artist, he is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion; as a profession ...

on May 20, 2022 at Eagle FC 47. Castro won the fight via TKO in the third round due to a doctor stoppage after dos Santos suffered a shoulder injury and was unable to continue.

Professional Fighters League

Castro signed with PFL for the 2023 season and was to face off against Ante Delija on April 7, 2023 at PFL 2. However, Delija pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Denis Goltsov. In turn, Goltsov withdrew from the bout and was replaced by

Danilo Marques Danilo Marques (born December 26, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background Marques started doing taekwondo for fun when h ...

. Castro lost the bout by unanimous decision. Castro is scheduled to face Denis Goltsov on June 16, 2023 at PFL 5.

Personal life

Yorgan de Castro has stated that if he had to pick a hero, it would be

Daniel Cormier Daniel Ryan Cormier (; born March 20, 1979) is an American former professional mixed martial artist, amateur wrestler, and current commentator for the UFC. He is a former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight Ch ...

due to his figure (short range and size) for the heavyweight division and unbelievable talent and determination. Yorgan is married and has a daughter born in 2014.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(One time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 9–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , PFL 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 ,

, TKO (shoulder injury) , Eagle FC 47 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:33 ,

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–3 , Shaun Asher , Submission (guillotine choke) , Eagle FC 44 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:04 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–3 , Danyelle Williams , Decision (unanimous) , CES 65 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–3 ,

, KO (punch) , UFC on ABC: Vettori vs. Holland , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:02 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–2 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Holm vs. Aldana , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Loss , align=center, 6–1 , Greg Hardy , Decision (unanimous) ,

UFC 249 ''UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 9, 2020 at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It was originally planned to ...

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 ,

, KO (punch) ,

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:10 ,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Sanford Alton Meeks , TKO (leg kick and punches) , Dana White's Contender Series 17 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:45 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Carlton Little Sr. , Decision (unanimous) , CES MMA 54 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Lincoln, Rhode Island Lincoln is a town in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 22,529 at the 2020 census. Lincoln is located in northeastern Rhode Island, north of Providence. Lincoln is part of the Providence metropolitan statistical ar ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Ras Hylton , KO (punch) , NEF 36 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:36 ,

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , David White , TKO (punches) , CES MMA 50 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:20 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , James Dysard , TKO (punches) , CES MMA 47 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:39 ,

, United States ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Castro, Yorgan 1987 births Living people Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters People from Mindelo Cape Verdean male mixed martial artists Portuguese male mixed martial artists Cape Verdean emigrants to Portugal