Just one fight into his UFC career, Yorgan De Castro has an undeniably big opportunity Saturday night.
De Castro (6-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) opens up the UFC 249 main card against heavyweight lightning rod Greg Hardy (5-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.
UFC 249 is of particular significance not just in MMA, but in the entire world of sports right now since it marks the first return of a major sporting event after roughly two months of cancellations and postponements as a result of the global coronavirus pandemic.
So all kinds of eyeballs the world over will be on the event, which will take place with no fans in attendance. And De Castro has an opportunity to upset Hardy and plant his name in the UFC’s heavyweight consciousness.
“I appreciate the chance the UFC’s giving me,” De Castro told MMA Junkie during Thursday’s virtual media day for the event. “I want to show my worth and go there and give it all. I know the card is stacked from the beginning to the main event. I’d be happy if I was opening the prelims, but this is my chance to go in there and show them the fight is worth (its spot on the pay-per-view).”
Hardy has been under fire for the entirety of his MMA career. The former NFL standout has been accused and charged with domestic violence in his past, but never convicted. The UFC and president Dana White, in particular, were criticized by many when Hardy was signed, given the baggage in his background.
But De Castro said there never was any temptation to get into a verbal firefight with Hardy leading into their fight. Instead, he looks at it as an opportunity to become a name, himself.
“I hate nobody at all, and I begged to fight Greg Hardy,” he said. “I don’t care about what’s going on in his life. I think he’s a super athlete, a big guy. I always like to prove my point that I belong in the UFC, and why not fight a guy like Greg Hardy? Everybody thinks he can be a big star one day in the UFC.
“We’re going to fight at the end of the day. We don’t have to add any drama. I can fight anyone. The UFC sends me a contract, I’m fighting. It doesn’t matter. I don’t like to really add extra drama and negativity and hate on my camp. I’m going to fight you, anyway, so I don’t like to trash talk.”
Hardy is a 2-1 favorite in the fight. But De Castro never has lost, including a first-round knockout over Justin Tafa in his promotional debut at UFC 243 this past October. To get that initial UFC shot, he had a first-round knockout win on Dana White’s Contender Series. And three of his first four fights prior to those opportunities on the big stage were knockouts.
So De Castro is a proven finisher, and he thinks a win over a name like Hardy could quickly catapult him into even bigger opportunities in the division later this year.
“Either one of us, me or Greg, is definitely going to fight top 15 or top 10 guys (if we win) – which is good,” De Castro said. “I think I’m ready for the next step.”
