Former UFC fighter Yorgan De Castro picked up a win in his return to CES on Sunday, taking a unanimous decision win over Danyelle Williams. The fight headlined CES 65, which took place at the Providence Career and Technical Academy in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.
The heavyweights engaged in wild striking exchanges on the feet, although ground positions heavily favored De Castro and ultimately won him two rounds on scorecards.
De Castro took Williams down in the second minute of the fight, taking full mount right after. This position allowed him to score with punches, mostly right hooks, for most of the round.
De Castro’s momentum was stopped late in the frame, as numerous cage grabs from him made the referee stand them up. He was warned about these grabs throughout the fight, eventually causing the referee to make him lose the position.
Williams landed a flurry of punches to open the second round. Clinch positions slowed the attacks from both fighters later in the round. The fatigued heavyweights traded wild swings late in the second round – making it a more even fight than when on the ground.
De Castro regained control of the fight in the third round, catching a leg kick for a takedown early on. While he didn’t throw many strikes from the position, he kept Williams on his back for most of the five minutes.
De Castro was making his first appearance after a four-fight UFC run. He departed the major promotion earlier this year after taking his third consecutive loss.
De Castro broke a losing streak with the fight on Sunday.
“I had to dig really, really deep to keep doing this. I was at the point where I wanted to give up,” said De Castro, reflecting on how he felt after his last UFC fight.
De Castro is no newcomer to CES, as three of his early fights as a pro took place in the promotion.
Williams has now lost three consecutive bouts, including a January loss to Greg Rebello on a CES card.
Former WSOF Champion Harrison Wins In Return
A dominant one-round performance from Andre Harrison earned him a win in his return, defeating Mauro Chaulet due to a doctor stoppage in-between the first and second rounds.
Harrison did a large amount of damage to Chaulet in the first round, cutting him open with strikes during exchanges. Chaulet stumbled to his corner after the first round, causing doctors to inspect him closely before the second round.
Harrison was a fighter for PFL from 2016 to 2019. He was the promotion’s featherweight champ in 2017, claiming the belt in the final months before they rebranded to an annual season format.
Harrison made it to the semi-finals of the 2018 and 2019 PFL seasons, putting together a record of four wins, one draw and two losses through those appearances.
Chaulet’s previous bout was in March 2020, where now-UFC fighter Damon Jackson submitted him on an LFA card.
Chaulet had a three-fight winning streak on the regional scene before that loss.
Ajim Puts Away Espinosa In Just 26 Seconds
A brutal knockdown from Ashiek Ajim early on scored him a quick win, defeating Carlos Espinosa in less than a minute with strikes.
Ajim floored Espinosa in the first minute with a hard right hook. A stunned Espinosa was quick to return to his feet, although his visible state of wooziness caused the referee to stop the bout.
Ajim had a fast victory in his previous bout as well, defeating Richard Barnard in just 34 seconds in August.
Espinosa was coming off a decision win he scored over Leonardo Carvalho in April.
Bellator Vet Douma Submits Lindi Early With Darce Choke
John Douma had an explosive re-appearance to CES, securing a first-round darce choke submission against Tristan Lindi.
Douma’s performance was one of dominance. He secured the choke while in full mount, roughly a minute after he took the fight to the ground.
Douma was coming back to CES after a three-fight run in Bellator that resulted in two wins and one loss. His last fight was a split decision win, where he beat Will Smith in April.
Lindi now has a negative record of two wins and three losses since his 2017 debut.
Left Hands From McKenna Causes First-Round Finish
Hugh McKenna scored his first TKO win on Sunday, finishing Pat McCrohan late in the first round with punches.
McKenna trapped McCrohan against the cage with wrestling, allowing him to throw a steady pace of left hooks to the head. This unanswered flurry of punches eventually made a referee step in and stop the fight.
McKenna is climbing out of a negative record, now having attained four wins and five losses.
McCrohan was appearing for the first time since 2019. He was submitted in his previous bout, losing to Andre Hall at CES 57.
Ghareeb Hands Short-Notice Opponent Pagliarulo First Pro Loss
Nate Ghareeb handed Tom Pagliarulo his first pro loss on Sunday, securing a split decision win after a stand-up battle.
Ghareeb’s win over Pagliarulo came after three rounds of him controlling a striking battle. He constantly advanced on Pagliarulo with strikes during the fight. Ghareeb got hit with shots as well, also suffering a gruesome toe injury early on.
Pagliarulo was given his first pro loss in the appearance. The rookie pro had previously fought three times earlier this year, winning all of those fights via stoppage.
Pagliarulo took the fight on short notice, replacing David Bollea. His previous fight was just last week, where he scored an 11-second finish win.
“I have nothing but respect for Pagliarulo,” said Ghareeb afterward, giving props to his short-notice opponent.
Ghareeb is now on a three-fight winning streak in CES. His two previous wins this year were first-round wins.
Flores Opens Card With Close Win Over Almy
The main card opened with a back-and-forth flyweight battle which saw Tim Flores take a split decision win over Matt Almy.
Almy scored a knockdown in the opening round, connecting with a flying knee that dropped Flores.
Flores started the second round strong, taking Almy down and advancing to side control. Almy was able to return to his feet later in the round and score a takedown of his own.
Flores got Almy down to start the final round, allowing him to land some ground and pound and attempt a guillotine choke. Flores closed the round out on top, periodically throwing punches from side control.
Flores was coming back after a recent submission win, defeating Brandon Neiford just two months back on a Premier FC card.
Almy has now lost three consecutive bouts via decision in CES.
Quick Results
Postliminary Card (RESULTS PENDING)
Bout 10: Aaron Hughes (1-1) vs. Rakim Thorpe (0-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 9: Tyrime Da Silva (0-0) vs. Josh Hardy (0-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 8: Frank Posko (0-0) vs. Kideby Gordon (0-0) (Bantamweight)
Main Card (4:00PM EST) (UFC Fight Pass)
Bout 7: Yorgan De Castro def. Danyelle Williams via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 6: Andre Harrison def. Mauro Chaulet via TKO, Doctor Stoppage (RD 1, 5:00)
Bout 5: Ashiek Ajim def. Carlos Espinosa via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:26)
Bout 4: John Douma def. Tristan Lindi via Submission, Darce Choke (RD 1, 2:24)
Bout 3: Hugh McKenna def. Pat McCrohan via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 4:37)
Bout 2: Nate Ghareeb def. Tom Pagliarulo via Decision, Split
Bout 1: Tim Flores def. Matt Almy via Decision, Split
Knockdown News 