Yorgan De Castro

Yorgan De Castro (born December 19, 1987) is a Cape Verdean professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division. He is most notable for fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and of Professional Fighters League (PFL).

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, where he discovered MMA and started training.

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 on October 6, 2019, against Justin Tafa. He won the fight in the first round via knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night 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 event was eventually postponed. However, on April 9, Dana White, 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. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Castro faced Jarjis Danho on April 10, 2021, at UFC on ABC 2. 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 However, Castro announced that he had withdrawn from the bout due to family issues.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 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 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. Castro lost the bout by unanimous decision.

Castro faced Denis Goltsov on June 16, 2023, at PFL 5. Castro lost the bout by knockout just 18 seconds into the first round.

Personal life
Yorgan de Castro has stated that if he had to pick a hero, it would be Daniel Cormier 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.

Mixed martial arts

 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One time) vs. Justin Tafa