The return of former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos was ruined by an injury on Friday night.
Dos Santos was pulled from his fight against Yorgan De Castro, as his right shoulder popped out after throwing a right cross punch. This injury was noticed by opponent De Castro, who notified the referee to stop the fight.
The bout officially came to an end shortly thereafter.
The heavyweight bout headlined Eagle FC 47, which took place at the FLXcast Arena in Miami, Florida, USA.
The fight was close prior to the finish. De Castro would explode forward with combinations of punches throughout the fight. Dos Santos succeeded the most with leg kicks, which connected cleanly and hurt the mobility of De Castro.
Dos Santos was making his first appearance since his UFC run, which lasted longer than a decade. He departed the UFC roster in late 2020 after suffering his fourth consecutive loss in the promotion.
De Castro has now secured three consecutive wins since his respective UFC departure. Following his win, he called for a fight against heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko.
Illegal Knee Causes End To Lombard, Silva Fight
A fight between veterans Hector Lombard and Thiago Silva came to a sudden end in the second round, as an illegal strike made the fight end in a no contest.
The finishing sequence to the bout came as part of a swing of momentum from Silva in the second round. It started with Silva landing a knockdown against Lombard via a right cross. In the heat of the moment, he followed up with an illegal knee to the head of Lombard while he was deemed a grounded fighter.
After the referee paused the fight for a couple of minutes, it was determined that Lombard couldn’t continue the fight past that moment.
The strike came as part of a comeback from Silva in the second round after Lombard controlled most of the first frame.
Lombard was fighting under MMA rules for the first time since the end of his UFC run, which resulted in six consecutive losses. He remained active in more recent years outside of the sport, competing in bare-knuckle boxing.
Silva was attempting to snap a two-fight losing streak that he developed from 2018 to 2019.
Pitolo Stops Retiring Usher Early
UFC alum Maki Pitolo made an impact in his Eagle FC appearance on Friday night, stopping Doug Usher in the first round with punches.
Pitolo knocked Usher out with a clean left hook early in the fight. He went to the ground to land two more punches before the referee stopped the fight.
Pitolo departed the UFC roster last year after suffering four consecutive losses. He picked up one win on the regional scene prior to Friday, defeating Fernando Gonzalez on a Tuff-N-Uff card.
Usher, a 39-year-old fighter, announced his retirement after the loss.
“I’m knocking on 40 [years old]. I put my gloves down, this is it,” said Usher in his post-fight interview.
Usher had a nine-fight winning streak on the regional scene before Friday.
Both fighters missed weight for the bout, which was held at a limit of 186 pounds.
Sanchez Earns First Win Since UFC Run
Andrew Sanchez won in his first appearance since a UFC run, dominating Gabriel Checco for a unanimous decision win.
Sanchez cleared scorecards, taking all three rounds in the fight. His striking, both on the feet and in ground positions allowed him to earn the win.
He had a much higher volume than Checco with stand-up shots, and he was able to go into ground control positions to land more punches.
Sanchez was appearing for the first time since a 10-fight UFC run from 2016 to 2021. His fight Friday also snaps a two-fight losing streak.
Sanchez usually competes at middleweight but was appearing up 20 pounds at light heavyweight for Friday night.
Checco’s previous defeat came against returning veteran Rashad Evans in January.
PFL Alum Aliev Wins Eagle FC Debut In 30 Seconds
Former PFL fighter Akhmed Aliev scored a quick win on Friday night, flooring Darrell Horcher early with an explosive combination of punches.
Aliev landed a left hook and then followed up with a right cross to drop Horcher, forcing the referee to step in and end the fight. The finish came just half a minute into the fight.
Aliev was competing for the first time since his PFL run. He competed in their 2019 and 2021 seasons, putting together three wins through six appearances in that time.
Horcher had a one-off PFL appearance last year, dropping a unanimous decision to Olivier Aubin-Mercier.
The Rest of the Card
Islam Mamedov put a quick end to a mismatch, submitting Zach Zane in the second minute with a rear naked choke.
Reggie Pena seemingly suffered a knee injury during his fight, causing an end to the bout in the second round and giving Bellator alum Ronny Markes a win.
Former UFC fighter Roosevelt Roberts picked up his second consecutive victory on Friday night, using his striking to defeat Alexandre de Almeida on scorecards.
Paulo Silva prevailed in a scrappy three-round brawl against UFC alum Sean Soriano, defeating him via split decision in the end.
A strong stand-up performance from Adi Alic that included a second-round knockdown earned him a unanimous decision win against Shawn Bunch.
Dylan Mantello snapped a two-fight losing streak in the opening bout of the card, as damage to opponent Dennis Hughes forced a doctor stoppage after two rounds.
Quick Results
Main Card (GoFLX)
Bout 11: Yorgan De Castro def. Junior dos Santos via TKO, Injury (RD 3, 0:35)
Bout 10: Thiago Silva vs. Hector Lombard via No Contest, Illegal Knee (RD 2, 1:44)
Bout 9: Maki Pitolo def. Doug Usher via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:30)
Bout 8: Andrew Sanchez def. Gabriel Checco via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Akhmed Aliev def. Darrell Horcher via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 0:30)
Preliminary Card (6:00PM EDT) (GoFLX)
Bout 6: Islam Mamedov def. Zach Zane via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 1:50)
Bout 5: Ronny Markes def. Reggie Pena via TKO, Injury (RD 2, 1:21)
Bout 4: Roosevelt Roberts def. Alexandre de Almeida via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 3: Paulo Silva def. Sean Soriano via Decision, Split
Bout 2: Adi Alic def. Shawn Bunch via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 1: Dylan Mantello def. Dennis Hughes via TKO, Doctor Stoppage (RD 2, 5:00)
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