A heavyweight bout has been added to UFC 243.
Newcomers Yorgan De Castro (5-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and Justin Tafa (3-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will simultaneously make their debut on the October pay-per-view card.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking, asking to remain anonymous since the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC 243 takes place Oct. 5 at a location to be determined. The main card will stream on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN2 and ESPN+.
Fresh off of a recent win on Dana White’s Contender Series, Cape Verde’s De Castro isn’t wasting much time. The 31-year-old Massachusetts-based fighter picked up the biggest victory of his career on June 18 at DWCS 17. In the first round, De Castro finished Alton Meeks with a vicious leg kick and punches.
Meanwhile, Tafa has been a force on the Australian regional scene. All three of his victories have come by way of knockout.
UFC 243 will be headlined by a title unification bout between champion Robert Whittaker and interim champ Israel Adesanya, which is the only other known booking as of this writing.
For more on UFC 243, check out the UFC schedule.
