The co-main event of UFC Fight Island 4 saw Yorgan de Castro take on Carlos Felipe in a heavyweight bout that left both fighters exhausted by the end and improved Felipe’s record to 9-1.
Felipe worked de Castro to the cage with some heavy punches, staying ready to defend de Castro’s kicks. De Castro pushed back with a series of punches of his own, but Felipe managed to avoid getting hit by any heavy strikes. The fighters stayed cautious of each other’s power, with de Castro focusing on landing kicks, battering his opponent’s legs. Felipe continued to push de Castro back to the cage with aggressive punches as round one ended.
Round two saw significantly more aggression from both fighters, with Felipe throwing more strikes to the body and de Castro focusing more on big punches. Though Felipe continued to push de Castro to the cage, de Castro was also landing more strikes on Felipe. The fighters clinched up against the cage, but the referee separated them and moved the fight back to the center after both fighters were called out for grabbing the cage. With about a minute and a half left in the round, Felipe again clinched up with de Castro and pushed him against the cage, separating briefly and exchanging a few strikes before again returning to a clinch against the cage. The referee again separated them after Felipe was again caught grabbing the cage. Both fighters finished the round strong in the last ten seconds, going after each other with some heavy strikes until the timer went off.
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The third and final round saw Felipe waste no time in pushing de Castro to the cage, though the referee soon separated them for inactivity. De Castro then lowered his level and pushed Felipe to the cage, though again the fighters didn’t stay there for long as they were separated. De Castro then returned his opponent to the cage, trying to throw a few knees and punches to convince the referee to let them stay there. This back-and-forth between fighters and referee continued, with Felipe not doing a lot to push back against de Castro aside from a single flying knee as de Castro again pushed him against the cage. With under thirty seconds left, Felipe again threw a knee. The final few seconds of the fight saw Felipe push forward with a few strikes, and the fight went to a decision.
Carlos Felipe was awarded the unanimous decision victory, adding another big win to his record.
