PBP Commentary

Coming up we have a featherweight MMA rules bout between Sambulo Yeboah (ranked 426 p4p, 54 weight class) and Cullen Castrello (ranked 270 p4p, 34 weight class). Yeboah comes to the cage accompanied by Lionel Richie - All Night Long. Buckle up people - heeeeeeeeeere we go!

Yeboah
vs
Castrello

172 cm
31
149 lbs
20 - 15 - 0

185 cm
37
148 lbs
36 - 19 - 3

Abu Dhabi Champ
World class boxer
Insanely flexible

Good wrestler
World class MT
Good gas tank

Urban Fighter
BuriedAlive// Fight Gear

Milwaukee's Best Nutrition

Ladies and gentlemen. This fight is 3 rounds, in the featherweight division.
Introducing the fighter to my left, fighting out of the red corner.
With a record of 20 - 15 - 0, fighting out of Las Vegas, Sambulo Yeboah!
And introducing the fighter to my right, fighting out of the blue corner.
With a record of 36 - 19 - 3, fighting out of New York, Cullen Castrello!
The judges for this bout are Jack Bonds, Frank Antenori and Timothy Bukovac.

The bell rings for round one and we are underway!
Castrello slips a jab from Yeboah.
Castrello on the wrong end of a kick to the body.
Castrello avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Castrello feints a counter leg kick.
Castrello connects with a nice looking jab.
Castrello throws a lazy uppercut
and Yeboah counters with a good low kick that Castrello was not able to check.
Yeboah steps to the side to avoid the strikes from Castrello.
Boom, another hit is landed. "You're gunna get knocked out" taunts Yeboah, as that shot connected.
Castrello takes a kick to the body and keeps moving.
Yeboah lands with a right hand.
Yeboah goes for a spinning back kick but it misses.
Castrello scores with a jab. Yeboah acknowledges it with a nod of the head.
Castrello dips down and scores with a jab to the body.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Yeboah on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Castrello on the wrong end of a nice jab.
Castrello moves out of range of the body kick from Yeboah.
Castrello looks to land a right hand but Yeboah moved out of range.
Castrello throws a leg kick

and Yeboah decides to take the opportunity to score a takedown. He's landed in Castrello's guard.
Castrello trying to keep a closed guard but Yeboah is proving a slippery customer.

That's one minute gone in the round.
Yeboah controlling from the guard. I say controlling but really, he's stalling.
Castrello manages to sweep nicely, so he's now on top. Yeboah manages to get himself to full guard.

Castrello tries to free his leg and advance position but Yeboah is retaining full guard.
Yeboah looking to control.
Castrello sitting in guard here, content to control.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
Neither fighter has done anything of merit for a good minute or two here and the crowd are not happy about it.
Castrello postures up.
The fighters are pressed up against the cage, both looking to find a bit of space to work.

Yeboah isolates an arm and boxes in a triangle. Castrello stacks Yeboah on his neck as he steps over and passes to the side. He's now in a much more dominant position where he can look to do some serious damage. Nice move by Castrello!
Yeboah is looking to slip a leg under and get half guard but Castrello is one step ahead and moves to full mount!
Castrello trying to control but he's not successful this time.
Castrello controlling the pace for now.
Yeboah tries to get back to half guard but can't.
Castrello controlling his opponent.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yeboah is trying desperately to improve position.
The ref warns both fighters not to hold the cage as they work up against the meshing.
Yeboah is working hard here to advance position.
Castrello controlling from mount.
Yeboah tries to lock up and control but Castrello gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.
Castrello wants to control the pace but Yeboah is squirming around nicely.
Yeboah tries to lock up and control but Castrello gives him a forearm to the face and pushes him away.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
The crowd are showing their displeasure at the lack of action as loud boos ring out around the arena.
Yeboah working to try and regain half guard.
Yeboah wants to control but Castrello is having none of it.
Yeboah is trying desperately to improve position.
Castrello can't quite control the action as he would like just now, as Yeboah is looking to escape.
Castrello manages to capitalize on a mistake by Yeboah to take his back!
Yeboah is trying to break free.
Castrello is trying to stick to Yeboah's back but Yeboah is turning into Castrello. He's managed to reverse the position - now he's in Castrello's guard. Polite applause from the crowd in appreciation of some nice Jiu Jitsu by Yeboah.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

A close round but Cullen Castrello will probably get the nod.
OK. That's time! The bell goes and we're back to the action.

A lazy body kick from Castrello
and Yeboah counters with a quick right hand to the jaw.
Yeboah moves out of range of the body kick from Castrello.
Castrello avoids a lazy jab quite easily.
Well, he's not going to score with shots like that. A lazy body kick attempt from Castrello.
Castrello throws a head kick but Yeboah moves out of range.
Castrello is a painfully thin specimen of a man. You do wonder whether a good body kick would snap him clean in two.
Castrello takes a nice looking leg kick right on the meat of his thigh there.
Castrello keeping a good distance there, avoiding the body shot.
Yeboah looks to have improved his striking defense since last time we saw him fight.
Castrello scores with a straight right hand, right through his opponent's guard.
Yeboah takes a punch to the jaw and another one to the bread basket.
Yeboah misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Castrello looks like he wants to counter punch here.
Castrello throws a lazy right hand but Yeboah sees it coming a mile off and sidesteps it easily.
Castrello has his hands up protecting his head but a hook from Yeboah finds it's way round the side to connect with Castrello's head.
Cullen Castrello seems to be the more aggressive standup fighter in this bout.
Yeboah scores with a jab to the head.
Wooooo! Give it up for these two warriors! They are putting on a show!

Yeboah shoots in for a takedown! He's got it and he's managed to land in side control! That's better than Yeboah was expecting from the takedown attempt, I'm sure!
Castrello is trying to escape and get back to his feet.
Castrello tries to bench press Yeboah off him but Yeboah keeps the position.

That's one minute gone in the round.

Yeboah is trying to get an arm triangle but Castrello is defending well.

Yeboah tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.

Yeboah is looking for a kimura. He might have it! No, Castrello has escaped the position, nice work there.
Castrello wants to control but Yeboah postures up.

Yeboah is trying to get an arm triangle but Castrello is defending well.
Sambulo Yeboah overall seems to be getting the better of the ground position in the fight so far.

That's two minutes gone in the round.
A lull in the action here being met with boos from the crowd.
Castrello can't do much from the bottom here.

Yeboah tries for a kimura but Castrello is defending well.
Yeboah has knee on belly and moves into mount.
Yeboah looking to control but Castrello is working nicely, looking to advance position himself.
Yeboah fails to move to back control.

Yeboah looking for a guillotine from mount but Castrello is having none of it.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Yeboah with some aggressive grappling here, looking for the finish.
Castrello is writhing around trying to get back to his feet.

Yeboah is looking to secure an arm. He's managed it! He's pivoting for an armbar - that looks tight! But Castrello has managed to get out of it and now he's in a dominant position. Nice work from Castrello!
Castrello's corner is telling him to maintain position.

Yeboah has a loose triangle. He'll be looking to tighten that up but Castrello can see exactly what he's planning and manages to posture up and free himself.
Yeboah not looking particularly offensive just at the moment.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
Castrello showing good wrestling skills to control the position.
Yeboah is trying to control the position but Castrello postures up.
Castrello engaging in some classic timewasting tactics.

Castrello got a little sloppy there for a moment and Yeboah has worked his way into a loose triangle - can he finish it?! No, Castrello has managed to get both his arms back between Yeboah's legs - danger averted.
The crowd thankful this round is nearly over.
Yeboah is trying to hold Castrello in close to prevent damage but Castrello has managed to pass into half guard.
Castrello prevents Yeboah from improving his position.
And that’s the end of the round – the fighters go back to their corners.

Sambulo Yeboah dominated that second round.
The fighters get back to their feet, the hooter sounds and we're back to the action! This is the final round!

Castrello scores with the left hand. Yeboah knows he should have avoided that one.
Yeboah comes forward and lands a shot to the body, then darts back out of range.
Castrello looks shocked there as he takes a right hand to the temple.
A jab lands there for Castrello.
Castrello fakes low and throws an overhand right that catches Yeboah on the side of the head.
Castrello throws a right hand that misses
and Yeboah counters with a leg kick.
A decent looking cross lands there for Yeboah.
Castrello rushes in with a sloppy looking punch
and Yeboah counters with a straight right hand.
Castrello lunges in with swinging rights and lefts but Yeboah circles away quickly and effectively.
Castrello has used his reach advantage pretty well so far tonight.
Castrello throws a decent looking leg kick but it doesn't land clean.
The crowd cheering loudly, showing their appreciation for the quality fight we're seeing here.
Castrello throws out a token jab with nothing on it.
Castrello explodes with a nice body kick and back out of range. Nice work.
Yeboah lands with a nice body punch.
Castrello connects with a lovely right hand, straight down the pipe.
Castrello misses with the body kick
and Yeboah counters with a lovely straight right hand!

That's one minute gone in the round.
Castrello connects with a body shot that sends Yeboah's belly button to the back.
Castrello misses with a half-hearted attempt at a head kick.
Yeboah swings wildly with a right hand that was never going to find it's target.
Yeboah fakes high and swings low for a body shot but Castrello manages to avoid it.
Sambulo Yeboah is winning the standup battle so far.
Castrello digs a good body shot into Yeboah's ribs.
Castrello throws a hook but Yeboah avoids it easily.
Castrello looks to land a right hand but Yeboah moved out of range.

Yeboah closes the distance and gets a double leg, slamming Castrello to the mat! Castrello manages to get full guard.
Yeboah trying to control but Castrello is working from the bottom.
Castrello is adopting a defensive guard.
Castrello is trying to keep Yeboah in close.
Yeboah slips nicely into half guard.

That's two minutes gone in the round.

Yeboah is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.

Yeboah is trying for a guillotine from the top but the pressure isn't in the right place so Castrello is just riding it out for now. Yeboah eventually gives up the hold.
Yeboah wants to pass to mount but Castrello is defending the position.
Castrello wants to improve his position but Yeboah is controlling well.

That's three minutes gone in the round.
Castrello trying to hold on to Yeboah's head to control him but Yeboah postures up.
Yeboah is keen to just control but Castrello is a slippery customer.

Yeboah is working for submissions here but there's nothing on.
Yeboah passes to side control.
Castrello is positioning himself to get back to half guard.
Yeboah trying to control the action but Castrello is working from the bottom.

That's four minutes gone in the round.
My god... these two guys really need to pick up the pace or everyone will leave to go get a beer.
Castrello is looking to regain half guard here but Yeboah keeps moving and retains side control.
You can see the frustration on Castrello's face, being in this tough position on the bottom.
The referee asks Yeboah politely if he wouldn't mind getting on with it and actually doing something. Yeboah prefers to stall for the moment though.
Castrello is looking to reverse the position.

Yeboah tries for a kimura. Not really close to a finish though.
Yeboah trying to control the action but Castrello is working from the bottom.

And that's the end of the fight!
That was a close round. You could make an argument for either fighter but I would give it to Sambulo Yeboah.
I think Yeboah has won this one but let's see what the judges have to say. Over to the ring announcer for the scorecards.

Ladies and gentlemen, after 3 rounds of action, we go to the scorecards for a decision.
Judge Jack Bonds scores the fight 29:28
Judge Frank Antenori scores the fight 29:28
Judge Timothy Bukovac scores the fight 29:29

In favor of your winner, by majority decision... Sambulo Yeboah!
An out of breath Sambulo Yeboah thanked his loyal fans in his post fight interview, giving them credit for his success over the course of his career.