Yorgan De Castro reflects on his four-fight UFC tenure with a bit of disappointment. He knows he could’ve done better.
After he won a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, De Castro (7-3) nailed a bonus-earning knockout of Justin Tafa in his debut at UFC 243. However, three straight losses lead to his UFC pink slip.
“I think I could’ve given it more,” De Castro told MMA Junkie on Friday. “I think I failed. The UFC did good. They gave me good matchups. I never felt like I had a mismatch. Even the fights I lost, I could’ve won. The one I got knocked out in, it is what it is. I got caught. The other two, the Greg Hardy and Carlos Felipe (fights), I thought I was too short, too shy. I needed to push forward. I was too worried about not losing and I ended up not winning the fight.”
Since his departure, De Castro has competed once. Failed matchups and life obstacles have gotten in the way of more frequency, until now. De Castro is set to Friday face Shaun Asher (13-4-1) at Eagle FC 44. The event takes place at FLXcast Arena in Miami. De Castro thinks he’s righted many of his wrongs.
“All my goals in the gym were to get to the UFC,” De Castro said. “Once I got to the UFC, I needed to set up new goals. I was lost there. I got confident. I said, ‘I’m already here and I accomplished everything I had to accomplish.’ Not anymore, my man. I need to start on new goals. I don’t want to just be a one-timer in the UFC. I want to be well-rounded. I want to be top 10. I want to fight for the belt one day. I believe in a year or two I’ll be a completely different fighter. … The mistakes I made in the past, I’m not going to make them again. That’s the thing. In the UFC, I didn’t feel like I gave my 100 percent. That’s not going to happen anymore. Every fight I have from now on is do-or-die.”
De Castro, 34, thinks he’s improved leaps and bounds in recent months. He’s focused on grappling improvement and less of a reliance on his right hand and leg kicks as his only strikes. According to De Castro, Eagle FC gives him a unique opportunity to showcase his skills – and compensates him appropriately for it.
“The big goal is always to get to the big leagues,” De Castro said. “Eagle FC is as big as any other promotion. I can tell you the pay is just like the UFC. They pay good. The contract is great. It’s another chance for me and a lot of other guys to follow their dream and provide for their families at the same time.”
