Castillo and Pettis Fired Up For Battle

By Frank Curreri

Danny Castillo did not weep after his last loss. But one of his trainers did. It wasn’t Urijah Faber, but Master Thong, the seen-it-all Muay Thai specialist who had never been moved to tears by a fighter’s performance until Castillo botched what seemed like certain victory last November against Shane Roller.

“You’re better than that guy and you lost,” Master Thong told Castillo after the stunning Nov. 18 setback, which saw Castillo control the action for two rounds and then wilt in the third and succumb to a rear naked choke. Later that night, at their hotel in Las Vegas, Master Thong started crying in front of his protégé.

“Seeing the pain that I caused Master Thong, that was hard for me,” Castillo said. “There were high expectations for me to win that fight and get a title shot. It was my turn to shine and I blew it. “That sucked. Leave it to me to make Master Thong cry after a fight.”

Castillo was so bummed – saying his whole world turned “upside down” -- that he didn’t show his face for the next three weeks at the Ultimate Fitness Gym in Sacramento. Since the soul-searching hiatus, however, the former account executive (8-2) has returned to Team Alpha Male headquarters, has been steadily regaining his swagger and believes he can purge his lingering disappointment by beating Anthony Pettis on March 6 in Columbus, Ohio. It will be no easy task, especially since Pettis (8-1) is himself coming off a narrow split decision defeat to Bart Palaszewski. Like Castillo, Pettis had his chances to win but let his opportunities slip away and expects to rebound with a vengeance.

“A win against Castillo would put me right back on track for a title shot,” Pettis said. “He’s a big name and he comes from a good camp, so that would be a huge win for me. A loss would set me way back. Two straight losses isn’t good for anybody, especially in the WEC. I can’t lose this fight. This fight is crucial.”

Though this fight will be featured on the WEC 47 undercard, it has Fight of The Night potential. Consider that both men combined have notched 14 of their 16 wins inside of the distance.

Stylistically, Castillo is a former Division III All-American wrestler, but has shown heavy hands, as evidenced by his TKO win over previously unbeaten Ricardo Lamas. Pettis, a 23-year-old student of Duke Roufus, is slick on the ground, and possesses a mean streak that is best illuminated when he is battering opponents with punches and kicks. For his part, Castillo didn’t try to disguise his strategy in this one and credited Palaszewski for exposing weaknesses in Pettis’ game.

“Nobody’s seen too much of Pettis,” Castillo said. “He hasn’t faced many solid opponents until he faced Bart Palaszewski, who is a seasoned veteran, and he set the blueprint for me on how to prepare for Anthony Pettis. I’m not too worried about his jits. I think he has a problem with wrestlers. His last fight was against Bart Palaszewski and he (Pettis) had difficulty defending the takedown.

“In my opinion, I think I’m probably the best wrestler at 155 pounds in the division. Shane Roller is a three-time Division I All-American and I took him down three or four times in my last fight. That’s going to be a huge problem for Anthony Pettis to deal with and I hope he’s prepared to defend my takedowns because it’s definitely going to the ground. Wrestling is my bread and butter and that’s what I’m bringing to that fight because it’s a long road for me to get back to where I was.”

Castillo, 30, perceives another chink in Pettis’ armor, believing that the fighter nicknamed “Showtime” likes to showboat a bit too much and will pay dearly for it on March 6.
“He’s a great striker, a very flashy striker, and that may be his downfall,” Castillo said. “The nickname ‘Showtime’ definitely suits his MMA game, because he’s there to put on a show and look flashy. I couldn’t be any different because I’m there to control a fight. I don’t care about being flashy, I just care about winning.”

In Pettis’ last fight, he was at his best while toying with and taunting Palaszewski in round one. Beyond his playful antics, Pettis connected with some nice combinations. Then, in the second round, his offense inexplicably vanished and Palaszewski took control. For most of the third round, the Milwaukee native seemed mysteriously passive until he floored Palaszewski late in the round. It was a close fight and Pettis said he had been conserving his energy because he had undergone shoulder surgery five weeks before the bout, forcing him to prepare for battle with an abbreviated training camp.

“I wasn’t focusing on finishing the fight, I was focused on surviving the fight and that’s what I did,” Pettis said. “Going forward I will never take a fight when I’m not ready again. When you lose you find out a lot about yourself, you find out what you’re made of. I’m really focused. No excuses coming into this fight. Danny is a tough guy, so this ain’t gonna’ be a walk in the park. I need to outwork Danny and keep him from taking me down. He has fast hands and good boxing, and then he’ll try to shoot in on me. I need to keep my range, keep my hands high, and throw lots of combos … There is nothing holding me back. I’m just ready to bring it. I learned not to let it go to the judges.”