Yorgan De Castro (born December 19, 1987) is a Cape Verdean mixed martial artist who competes in the Heavyweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL). He is most notable for fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (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, 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 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 However, Castro announced that he had withdrawn from