Yorgan de Castro upset Australia’s own Justin Tafa at UFC 243 in Melbourne, absolutely flooring him in the first round.
With Holly Holm injured and her fight with Raquel Pennington off the UFC 243 card, it was heavyweights opening the PPV. Justin Tafa, a protege of sorts of Mark Hunt, was set to take on Yorgan De Castro, the undefeated Contender Series alum.
Heavyweight fights being what they are, there was a feeling that Tafa vs. De Castro would either end very quickly, or turn into a grueling affair.
It was the former. Tafa held center early and almost immediately tagged De Castro with a right hand. That led to some grappling against the cage, then an exchange, and a solid kick by De Castro. Tafa then drove his opponent into the cage again, with De Castro holding onto an over-hook.
After the break, Tafa would connect with an uppercut. But as the Aussie heavyweight moved in, De Castro absolutely leveled him with a right hand. It was a walk-off knockout reminiscent of Mark Hunt, but it wasn’t his fighter getting the finish on Saturday night in Melbourne. A thunderous debut for De Castro, who thanked the crowd and wished a quick recovery for Tafa post-fight.
WALK-OFF KO!@DeCastroYorgan puts Tafa down with one punch in the first! #UFC243 pic.twitter.com/QmXpyiR0Er
— UFC (@ufc) October 6, 2019
Official Result: Yorgan de Castro def. Justin Tafa by knockout, Round 1, 2:10
