Yorgan De Castro takes inspiration from 'chubby' Daniel Cormier and his 'phenomenal' body style

LAS VEGAS – Yorgan De Castro credits Daniel Cormier for the success he’s had with his physique at heavyweight.

Cormier, a former two-division UFC champion and UFC Hall of Famer, was often at a significant height disadvantage when he competed at both light heavyweight and heavyweight, and never quite boasted a chiseled physique.

De Castro possesses a similar body type to Cormier. He praised “DC” for still managing to reach the top, despite not having a typical athlete’s figure.

“I like Daniel Cormier,” De Castro told reporters, including MMA Junkie, during Wednesday’s 2023 PFL 2 media day. “He did a phenomenal job with his body style. He’s short and chubby and he dominated the heavyweight division. I always looked up to him and I like him. He’s definitely one of my favorite fighters of all time.”

De Castro (9-3) makes his PFL debut on Friday when he takes on UFC alum Danilo Marques (13-4) at 2023 PFL 2 which takes place at The Theater at Virgin Hotels. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.

With the majority of his wins coming by knockout or TKO, De Castro is looking to put Marques away quickly.

“I think he’s very well-rounded,” De Castro said. “He’s been in the UFC before, he won some good fights, he’s got high-level jiu-jitsu. He’s notorious for taking people’s backs and putting them to sleep, and I can’t wait. I can’t wait to share the cage with him, and I know for a fact that I’m gonna get my hand raised. Knockout, first round.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2023, Week 2.