Justin Tafa is slightly favored against Yorgan De Castro at UFC 243 on Sunday, October 6 in Melbourne, Australia, but keep in mind that because of the time difference it will start on Saturday night, Eastern Time. This event is one of five fights on the main pay-per-view card. Tafa is 3-0 in his career, while De Castro is 5-0 in his career. There are a total of five fights on the main pay-per-view card at UFC 243, with the headliner a bout between Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya. There are also a total of six fights on the preliminary card with four on ESPN2 and two on UFC Fight Pass. Let’s look at the bout between Tafa and De Castro and UFC predictions.
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Justin Tafa (3-0, UFC debut)
Tafa will be making his UFC debut. In his career, he has three wins and no losses; as he defeated Dylan Tiaaleaiga by TKO, Jeremy Joiner by TKO, and David Taumoepeau by TKO. Tafa has been a pro since 2017 and he has three wins by TKO/KO. He has one first round finish.
Tafa said this to mmajunkie.usatoday.com about his upcoming UFC debut fight, Man, he’s all right, and he’s got a good kick to him. I think it’ll be a fun fight, man. If he wants to bang, I’m ready to bang. I’ve sparred guys like Mark and ‘Bam Bam’ and Tyson (Pedro) and all that. And I’m Samoan, man. It’s in our blood to rumble. You’ve seen Sefo and Hunt … it’s in our blood. Either way, I know he wants to win, but it’s not going to be happening, bro. I want to knock guys out. At the end of the day, I just want to knock this guy out. I just want to see him go stiff and walk off. That’s all I want to do.
Yorgan De Castro (5-0, UFC debut)
De Castro will be making his UFC debut. In his career, he has five wins and no losses, as he defeated James Dysard by TKO, David White by TKO, Ras Hylton by TKO, Carlton Little Sr. by unanimous decision, and Sanford Alton Meeks by TKO. De Castro has been a pro since 2017 and he has four wins by TKO/KO. He has three first round finishes.
De Castro said this to sherdog.com about his upcoming UFC debut fight, “I love it and if you want to do your UFC debut this is amazing to do it on. I have a great opponent, like a game guy, on one of the biggest cards of the year. This is a dream come true, I’m excited. I don’t really care; I’m an underdog in life. I have always been fighting in my opponent’s backyard. I expect a tough fight, I am preparing for three hard rounds. But, I have power in my hands and legs so this fight could end at anytime.”
Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Tafa 0.00 / De Castro 4.47
Striking Accuracy: Tafa 0% / De Castro 61%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Tafa 0.00/ De Castro 0.71
Defense: Tafa 0% / De Castro 57%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Tafa 0.00/ De Castro 0.00
Takedown Accuracy: Tafa 0% / De Castro 0%
Takedowns defended: Tafa 0% / De Castro 75%
Submission average: Tafa 0.0 / De Castro 0.0
UFC Predictions
This fight looks like it should be entertaining and a good way to start UFC 243. Both fighters have shown the ability to finish, so this one may not last long. I will take the rounds to go under the total.
UFC 243 takes place at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia Sunday, October 6 in Melbourne, Australia, but because of the time difference it will start on Saturday night in the United States, with five fights on the main pay-per-view card headlined by Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya and six preliminary bouts with four on ESPN2 and two on UFC Fight Pass.
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Middleweight - Israel Adesanya -120 vs. Robert Whittaker
Lightweight - Dan Hooker -170 vs. Al Iaquinta
Heavyweight - Tai Tuivasa -415 vs. Sergey Spivac
Welterweight - Dhiego Lima -160 vs. Luke Jumeau
Heavyweight - Justin Tafa -127 vs. Yorgan De Castro
Preliminary Card (ESPN)
Welterweight - Jake Matthews -382 vs. Rostem Akman
Lightweight - Brad Riddell -150 vs. Jamie Mullarkey
Welterweight - Maki Pitolo -368 vs. Callan Potter
Women’s Featherweight - Megan Anderson -500 vs. Zarah Fairn dos Santos
Early Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)
Women’s Flyweight - Ji Yeon Kim -220 vs. Nadia Kassem
Bantamweight - Khalid Taha -250 vs. Bruno Silva
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