“When I knew I was gonna be fighting Eddie, I was super confident going into that fight,” said Castaneda, who lost a decision to Nathaniel Wood in his Octagon debut in 2020. “I definitely knew that he was a durable fighter, but I knew he had been recently knocked out by (Sean) O’Malley. I like to think that once you get knocked out, it’s easier to get knocked out from then on out. That’s the mentality I had going into that fight; I was hoping for a finish and I was able to get one.”
It was a statement making victory, and he’s aiming for another one against Johns, but he’s also not resting on his laurels.
“I think the last one was definitely a statement,” he said. “Eddie’s a veteran of the sport but let’s be real; Eddie Wineland is definitely not in his prime anymore. He’s on the tail-end of his career. Now it’s time to fight somebody in their prime. Miles Johns is that power striker, he’s a damn good wrestler, and I think he under utilizes his grappling, as well, so I’ve been saying this whole camp that I want a dog fight this fight. I want to show that I got a chin, I want to show that I’ve got cardio, I want to show that I can put on a pace. So when you said Fight of the Night, of course I want a Fight of the Night. But I would rather take a Performance of the Night. I know I’m in better shape than Miles. He’s a big dude for ’35, I think he cuts a lot of weight and I think that’s gonna show in the fight.”
I remind him that his mom, who has been waiting for him to retire for as long as he’s been fighting, might be reading this. Castaneda laughs before doubling down on his wish for Saturday night.
“I want a dog fight.”
Don’t miss a single round of UFC Fight Night: Hermansson vs Strickland, live from the UFC APEX on Saturday, February 5 on ESPN+. Prelims begin at 4pm ET/1pm PT. Main card begins at 7pm ET/4pm PT.
