Yorgan De Castro Talks Being a Slimmer ‘Mad Titan’

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When incurring a first loss, some fighters may see reason to make major changes in the way they approach future fights. For Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight Yorgan De Castro, his adjustments center around cutting the fat, literally. For an athlete shorter than most UFC heavyweights, he often weighs-in just below the division’s limit. While the Cape Verde native hasn’t made massive changes in his nutrition and strength training programs, he believes adjustments to turn some fat into muscle will improve his abilities, while not overhauling the frame that has brought him success.

“When you lose a fight, you start to get a lot of like, I should do this, I should do that, I should lose weight. Because honestly, I do feel good [around 265 pounds]. I do feel durable. I do feel like I can take a punch. I feel like I can throw flying knees at 260. I can do everything,” De Castro told Sherdog. “But for this one I’m lower. Before I flew out from Las Vegas I was 260. So I believe I will be 255 for this one. But I’m not necessarily looking to [drop] to 245. If I lose fat [and] build muscle, I feel good. I can eat good and I’m good with that. Like you said, I’m fast. I know I’m strong. If I’ve got to check my weight all the time, I might as well go to [light heavyweight].”

Along with detailing the changes he has made to drop some weight, De Castro spoke about his May loss to Greg Hardy and the foot injury that derailed his chances at victory. Plus, he talked about his UFC on ESPN 16 matchup with Carlos Felipe and he took part in a new “Five for Fighters” segment.