The bout closed out a weird night, one that ended in a way few would have predicted.

De Castro came into the fight a sizable underdog, and within the opening minute, “The Mad Titan” pointed at center, trying to goad “Cigano” into an all-out war. Dos Santos instead played it smart, keeping the fight at range with his kicks — high, low, and to the body. A Dos Santos leg kick a little later nearly took De Castro off his feet.

In the back half of the round, De Castro found his stride, going on the attack and backing Dos Santos up. Things were getting interesting, but Dos Santos continued chopping at the legs, and landed a spinning back kick to the midsection. Just as De Castro had started to come on, JDS appeared to have found his rhythm.

De Castro started round two throwing a massive right hand, then tied things up with Dos Santos. But it was Dos Santos who took control in the clinch, care of a body lock. De Castro finally broke free, and began walking the former champ down once more. He came close several times, trapping Dos Santos, cutting off the cage. As the round wore on, Dos Santos began attacking the legs again, putting a halt to De Castro’s forward progress. Dos Santos then backed De Castro into the fence and fired a spinning back kick — but hit the cage as De Castro escaped.

Round three saw what had been a competitive main event come to an unsatisfying end. Early in the frame, Dos Santos fired a right hand — and dislocated his shoulder. A clearly upset JDS was beside himself, knowing that a likely win on the scorecards had just slipped through his fingers. Instead, with the doctor ruling him unable to continue as they worked his arm back into place, it was De Castro who was awarded the injury TKO win.

Eagle FC 47 main event ends after Junior dos Santos dislocates his shoulder pic.twitter.com/DMRhp1j84D

— Eagle FC (@EagleFightClub) May 21, 2022

After the fight, “The Mad Titan” called for a fight with Fedor Emelianenko — a bout Khabib Nurmagomedov had suggested Dos Santos for.

The weirdness that went down Friday night might have ended with Dos Santos-Castro, but it didn’t start there. In the Eagle FC 47 co-main event, Hector Lombard came out guns blazing, hurting Thiago Silva early. With the Brazilian on the ground, Lombard moved in to drop hammer fists — but Silva showed some veteran wiles of his own, tying Lombard up. That bought him enough time to survive; the pair would get back to their feet, and Lombard later looked for a takedown, driving Silva up against the fence.

Silva would survive the round, then put himself in the hole when he fired an illegal knee at a downed Lombard about two minutes in. Silva had just dropped Lombard with a right hand, and appeared to pull up on the knee (or maybe simply mistime it), but couldn’t stop it in time.

With the doctor ruling Lombard, whose nose was bloodied from the blow, unable to continue, the bout ended in a No Contest. Lombard immediately left the cage, though he’d return for the result to be announced. Silva, meanwhile, expressed a willingness to run it back in future.

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In an obvious draw for avid fight fans, former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos looked to snap a four-fight skid and pick up a win in his first fight since exiting his former promotion last year.

It was another UFC alum, meanwhile, in his way: Yorgan De Castro. “The Mad Titan” had picked up two victories since being let go by the UFC himself in 2021.

That heavyweight collision would produce a number one contender in the heavyweight division, currently ruled by champ Rizvan Kuniev.

Outside of the main event, Eagle FC’s latest Miami card once again featured a host of names familiar to fans of the UFC and other top orgs. On loan from Bellator, Islam Mamedov was paired up with Zach Zane. In the co-main event, a pair of former UFC brethren, Hector Lombard and Thiago Silva. Adding a little bit of drama, in the case of Lombard and Silva, the pair were also former teammates.

Maki “Coconut Bombz” Pitolo, TUF winner Andrew Sanchez, Ronny Markes, Roosevelt Roberts, Sean Soriano and others were also in action earlier on the Eagle FC 47 card.

Eagle FC 47 takes place on Friday, May 20, 2022 at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida. The event streams live and free on the FLXcast App. Full results from the event can be found below.

Eagle FC 47: Dos Santos vs. De Castro Results

Main card

Yorgan De Castro def. Junior Dos Santos by TKO (shoulder injury), Round 3, 0:35
Hector Lombard vs. Thiago Silva ends in a No Contest (accidental foul), Round 2, 1:44
Maki Pitolo def. Doug Usher by knockout, Round 1, 0:30
Andrew Sanchez def. Gabriel Checco by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Akhmed Aliev def. Darrell Horcher by knockout, Round 1, 0:30

Preliminary card

Islam Mamedov def. Zach Zane by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:50
Ronny Markes def. Reggie Pena by TKO (verbal submission/knee injury), Round 2, 1:21
Roosevelt Roberts def. Alexandre Almeida by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Paulo Silva def. Sean Soriano by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Adi Alic def. Shawn Bunch by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Dylan Mantello def. Dennis Hughes by TKO (cut), Round 2, 4:59

The post Eagle FC 47: Dos Santos vs. De Castro Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

De Castro headlines Eagle FC 47 against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos in a number one contender’s fight for the Eagle FC heavyweight title. “The Mad Titan” is honored to face a legend of the sport and thinks the pressure is all on his opponent— because De Castro himself is expected to lose.

“The guy is a complete mixed martial artist, and I can say whatever I want right now, act tough and say I’m going to do this and that. It’s just going to make me look silly because the guy has faced everybody in the heavyweight division. He has faced everybody. He faced a short guy like me with a power, a black guy; he has faced everyone that looks like me already,” De Castro told Cageside Press in an exclusive interview recently. “I can’t say anything. The guy has been there, done that. So to me, I think even though the pressure is on him, I have to go there and do the work and fight and show that I can do this.”

“On paper, he is supposed to wipe the floor with me. He has got twice the experience than me. He’s been there, he had 12 years in UFC. He was a champion and defended his title. If you put us on paper, we should not be together in the same room. But guess what? We’re heavyweights. I got a lot of power and confidence in my power. I have a chance against anyone, and if you count me out, it is a big mistake and especially when I’m the underdog. When I feel like people underestimate me, it is a different type of fire under me.”

De Castro feels the same way he felt against Alton Meeks and Justin Tafa back in 2019. Everyone counted him out, and he proved everyone wrong by finishing them both.

Another huge factor De Castro feels he has in his favor is that he isn’t afraid to get knocked out anymore. He was knocked unconscious by Jarjis Danho on ABC in his last fight with the UFC. He thinks that was the best thing that could have happened to him, because now his mindset is to kill or be killed.

“That was the best thing that happened in my life. Honestly, one of my biggest fears before that fight was getting knocked out on TV and my family seeing it and everybody else seeing it. I was always pulling back. I feel like my two [decision] losses; I didn’t engage much because I was like, ‘I don’t want to get knocked out.’ And I regret that about those losses, that I didn’t give it my all,” De Castro said. “Losses make me a better fighter and make me where I am right now. Guess what? You get knocked out, and you wake up 30 seconds later, and you don’t even remember. I don’t care. I’m ruthless now. I don’t care anymore, that’s what used to be my number one concern is getting knocked out. I’m a better fighter now.”

Yorgan De Castro is bringing that kill or be killed attitude with him on May 20. He believes he will be able to knock Dos Santos out, and if not, he will get finished trying to.

“I’m getting my hand raised by any means necessary. In a perfect world, I will leg kick him and touch his chin with my right hand. But that we’re talking about JDS, and he’s tough, he’s been in many battles so I don’t know how we’re gonna end, but I’m telling you I’m gonna bring it, and I’m willing to kill or be killed. This is gonna be fun,” De Castro said.

This is also De Castro’s second fight as a full-time fighter. He finally quit his full-time job before his last fight, and he ended up finishing his opponent in a minute. De Castro smiled when asked if that was a sign to come.

Watch the rest of our interview with Yorgan De Castro above. Eagle FC 47 goes down May 20 on the FLX app.

The post Eagle FC 47: Underdog Yorgan De Castro Looking To Prove Everyone Wrong Again appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mamedov (20-2-1) will face UFC and BKFC vet Yosdenis Cedeno (11-7-1) at Eagle FC 47 on May 20. News of the booking was first reported by The Underground’s John Morgan.

Bellator MMA officials subsequently confirmed to Cageside Press that Mamedov remains under contract with them, and had been granted permission to take a fight outside the promotion.

Dagestan’s Mamedov was last in action in January at Bellator 273, where he wound up on the wrong side of a split decision against former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson. The loss was Mamedov’s first since 2009.

Cedeno has not competed in MMA since 2019, and has lost four of his last six fights. He fought to a draw against Jason Novelli in 2016, and notched his lone win in that span against Pedro Gomes in July 2018.

In BKFC, Cedeno, a.k.a. “Pink Panther,” has posted a 2-0 record. In the UFC, from 2014 through the following year, he went 1-3 inside the octagon.

Eagle FC 47 takes place on May 20, 2022 at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida, and streams live on the FLXcast App. The following bouts have been reported for the event:

• Junior Dos Santos vs. Yorgan De Castro
• Hector Lombard vs. Thiago Silva
• Alexandre Almeida vs. Roosevelt Roberts
• Jason Knight vs. Josenaldo Silva
• Maki Pitolo vs. Doug Usher
• Dennis Hughes Jr. vs. Dylan Mantello
• Yosdenis Cedeno vs. Islam Mamedov

The post Bellator Lightweight Islam Mamedov Set for Eagle FC 47 Scrap Against UFC Vet Yosdenis Cedeno appeared first on Cageside Press.