UFC on FUEL TV 10 results: Felipe Arantes pounds out Godofredo Castro

FORTALEZA, BRAZIL – Felipe Arantes may have been trying to knock the purple right out of Godofredo Castro’s hair.

He couldn’t quite do that, but Arantes did deliver a beating to hometown favorite “Pepey” from his knees that Castro likely wants to forget with a first-round TKO.

The featherweight bout was part of today’s UFC on FUEL TV 10 event at Paulo Sarasate Arena in Fortaleza, Ceara, Brazil. It streamed on Facebook ahead of a main card on FUEL TV.

Castro got a good takedown and looked to take advantage early, but a minute in Arantes reversed and was able to get on top to look for ground and pound. Castro, though, worked body shots from his back and stayed active in guard.

“Pepey” was able to nicely reverse by going after a kimura and transitioned to full mount with lots of time left in the round – and Arantes appeared to be in trouble. He ate a few shots, but then went to work himself.

Arantes was able to buck Castro off, reverse position and start pounding him with elbows and fists. Blow after blow landed from Arantes on his knees as referee Dan Miragliotta looked in closely. With “Pepey” in big trouble eating the shots, Miragliotta waved it off at the 3:32 mark of the first round. Castro offered no form of complaint for the stoppage.

“It was the best fight of the night,” Arantes said. “I was afraid that when the (referee) announced it was over, I was going to wake up and find out I was still dreaming. I felt the crowd against me as I was walking in, but it’s part of this sport. I knew I was going to finish him, I knew I was going to win because I fought hard. I don’t pick opponents, I will face anyone. I know it’s going to get harder and harder given that the UFC has so many great fighters, but I will keep working hard.”

“I believe the (referee) shouldn’t have stopped it, but he knows what he’s doing – it’s his job,” Castro said. “He deserved the win. I made a mistake and it’s going to be fixed so I can come back stronger. My opponent had a good strategy. I had a good moment and couldn’t take advantage of it. This is just another step in my career.”

Arantes (15-4-1 MMA, 2-1-1 UFC) is unbeaten in his past three fights with a win over Antonio Carvalho in January 2012 and a draw with Milton Vieira this past June. Castro (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC), a “TUF: Brazil” veteran, drops back to 1-2 in the UFC after his January win over Vieira.

Up-to-the-minute UFC on FUEL TV 10 results include:

• Felipe Arantes def. Godofredo Castro via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 3:32
• Ildemar Alcantara def. Leandro Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Rodrigo Damm def. Mizuto Hirota via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Caio Magalhaes def. Karlos Vemola via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:49
• Antonio Braga Neto def. Anthony Smith via submission (kneebar) – Round 1, 1:52

For complete coverage of UFC on FUEL TV 10, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Felipe Arantes)

John Morgan contributed to this report on-site in Brazil.