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John Castaneda reacts after his victory over Miles Johns in their featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on February 05, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
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John Castaneda Checked All The Boxes

Castaneda Feels All The Confidence In The World Heading Into His Matchup Against Daniel Marcos At UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Imavov

It’s Monday of fight week, and John Castaneda couldn’t be more at ease as he awaited his flight to Louisville for Saturday’s bout with unbeaten Daniel Marcos.

“I'm pretty relaxed and I'm very confident,” said Castaneda. “And my coach, Greg Nelson, he's always said something that really resonated with me - it's that confidence comes from your preparation. And so if I feel like I skipped some training sessions or didn't do what I was supposed to be doing during fight camp, maybe cut some corners here or cut some corners there, I'd maybe be a little bit more nervous right now. But I'm very, very confident because it's the complete opposite. I did everything I could, and I think that I'm going to finish this guy pretty decisively.”

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Castaneda was even about to get in some fishing with his brother before heading out of Minnesota, adding to the relaxation level before he gets into a fistfight this weekend. About the only thing taking him out of that mood is his itch to get a Top 15 opponent in the bantamweight division after winning four of his last five, including two in a row over Muin Gafurov and Kyung Ho Kang.

John Castaneda kicks Daniel Santos of Brazil in a 140-pound catchweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 01, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)
John Castaneda kicks Daniel Santos of Brazil in a 140-pound catchweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on October 01, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

“To be honest, I've had that itch for a while,” he said. “Four out of my last five and that one loss to Daniel Santos, I was fighting with a respiratory infection, so I kind of chalked that up to that in my own head. Obviously, he did what he needed to do, but I think if we run that back, it's a different story if I'm healthy, so I think I'm ready for Top 15 opponents. I know that studying Daniel Marcos, all these commentators and people are talking about him and they keep raving about this guy, how he's on the cusp of the Top 15 and ready for the Top 15. So once I put him away, I think I kind of take his place.”

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It makes sense, and yes, Marcos is a talented prospect who has defeated Saimon Oliveira and Davey Grant since arriving in the UFC from Dana White’s Contender Series. And while an accidental groin strike led to his February bout with Aoriqileng being ruled a no contest, the Peru native remains unbeaten at 15-0 with 1 NC, and a serious threat at 135 pounds, all of which makes Castaneda smile, because he believes he has the right stuff to put a “1” in his opponent’s loss column.

“When I look at a fighter and I break him down, especially an opponent, I think to myself, okay, how's this guy's style and can I finish him and how easy is it going to be?” Castaneda explains. “So I'm very, very excited for this matchup. He's 15-0 on paper, he is undefeated in the UFC, but in my personal opinion, he hasn't fought anybody of my caliber. He hasn't fought anybody with the pedigree of wrestling that I have, the jiu-jitsu that I have, the pace that I have, and I'm firing on all cylinders right now. Everything in camp went great. Everything went smooth. The weight cut is good and I'm peaking at the right time. I'm very, very confident that I can finish this guy. So I don't think it matters about necessarily the name and the hype surrounding someone, but more so what their style is.  And I think that his style, compared to my style, I'm his kryptonite.”

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Yeah, that confidence is clearly there, but don’t mistake it for cockiness. Castaneda has paid his dues and made his way to this point in his career through hard work. So he’s earned the right to feel like he’s going to beat anyone in the world. And that starts with Marcos.

“I feel like I'm peaking,” said the 32-year-old. “And mentally, I'm sharper than ever. I'm doing all the right things, and I feel like I've finally grown up in this game to where I can be a little bit more responsible in my off camps with the things I'm supposed to be doing. Mentally. I'm a veteran of this game. I've had 27 professional fights. I had 17 amateur fights. I've had almost 50 fights overall. So I've done this when it comes to fight week and stepping into that cage, and I just remind myself every single time and I take a big old breath and say, I've done this almost 50 times. This is nothing new to me. How well did I prepare? I prepared amazing. So let's go. There's nothing else at that point to do besides have a good performance. I got plenty of fighting and fight left in me, so I'm ready to see where I can take it.”

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UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Imavov took place live from KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Kentucky on June 8, 2024. See the final Prelims & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!