Danny Castillo Comments on His UFC Release

– Danny Castillo (17-10 MMA, 7-7 UFC) recently spoke to MMAJunkie about his UFC release and more. Here are the highlights…

On His Release: “I got the phone call, and I looked at my phone, and the Caller ID said, ‘Joe Silva,’” Castillo recalled. “My heart dropped a little bit, and I knew exactly what was going on. He called me, and he was like, ‘Hey man, this is never easy for me. I’m sure you know why I’m calling.’”

On If he Had Hard Feelings: “I thought I was going to get the pink slip after the Jim Miller fight,” Castillo said. “It’s a competitive sport, and no one has that many losses and sticks around. I was waiting for the call for a couple of weeks. It’s a performance-based sport, and I just haven’t been performing my last few fights. There’s not really any hard feelings.”

Reflecting on His Career: “If I never fight again, I just want people to appreciate what I did in the sport,” Castillo said. “I never pulled out of a fight. I worked my ass off. Out of those 22 fights, I think I took five of those fights on less than four weeks’ notice. And it’s not an easy feat in the lightweight division in the UFC. I’ve had three fighters come in overweight. I still took the fights anyway. I was a company man for a long time. I never disrespected anyone. I’ve always been positive in the sport. I’ve never been in trouble in or out of the cage for any reason at all. MMA changed my life and made me better person. I just want people to know I’ve worked hard. If it was just up to hard work, I’d be a world champion with 15 title defenses. But it’s not just about hard work, and it didn’t work out for me. I’m staying optimistic. If I do fight again. I’ll get back to the UFC. I have no doubt in my mind, as long as I still have that fire in me. If not, then I’m happy with my career.”