Yorgan De Castro and Punahele Soriano’s performances on the season premiere of Dana White’s Contender Series couldn’t have been more different, but in the end they both felt the thrill of having earned a UFC contract.
De Castro (5-0) got the show off on the right foot (no pun intended) in the opening heavyweight bout, winning a striker vs. grappler battle as he stifled the wrestling of Alton Meeks (3-1) en route to picking up a first-round finish.
As expected, Meeks came out looking to tie De Castro up early, pushing him against the fence and taking him down to the mat.