BANTAMWEIGHT
“Sexi Mexi”
John Castaneda
Pro record · W–L–D
21-9-1
Known official pay · USD
Not disclosed
Sourced events only
- Age
- 34
- Height
- 5′ 6″ · 168 cm
- Reach
- 71″ · 180 cm
- Stance
- Not available
- Listed weight
- 146.00 lb
- Country
- USA
- Fights out of
- Mankato, MN
- Gym
- The Academy
- Style
- MMA
- Birthplace
- Dallas, United States
- Leg reach
- 37″ · 94 cm
- UFC debut
- Aug. 1, 2017
UFC / API-Sports / Sportradar · Profile checked Sep 26, 2026Official athlete profile
The fighter in numbers
Performance & finishing
John Castaneda
- Strikes landed / min
- 4.95
- Strikes absorbed / min
- 5.07
- Striking accuracy
- 51%
- Striking defense
- 54%
- Knockdowns / fight
- 0.46
- Takedowns / 15 min
- 1.49
- Takedown accuracy
- 0%
- Takedown defense
- 76%
- Submission attempts / 15 min
- 0.11
- Wins by finish
- 67%
John Castaneda
Up to five latest confirmed fights in our records · newest first
- LChris Gutierrez
decision split · R3 · 5:00
Apr 26, 2025 · UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates
Sportradar
- LDaniel Marcos
decision unanimous · R3 · 5:00
Jun 8, 2024 · UFC Fight Night: Cannonier vs Imavov
Sportradar
- W
- WMuin Gafurov
decision unanimous · R3 · 5:00
Jun 3, 2023 · UFC Fight Night: Kara-France vs. Albazi
Sportradar
- L
Octagon Edge ratings
- Power rating
- 1482
- Glicko rating
- 1497
Model ratings, separate from official rankings.
More recorded fights
Castaneda, John vs. Heili, Alateng
Sep 26, 2026 · not_started
Alatengheili vs. John Castaneda
Sep 26, 2026 · NS
Castaneda, John vs. Vologdin, Mark
Apr 18, 2026 · closed
Gutierrez, Chris vs. Castaneda, John
Apr 26, 2025 · closed
Castaneda, John vs. Marcos, Daniel
Jun 8, 2024 · closed
Castaneda, John vs. Kang, Kyung Ho
Nov 12, 2023 · closed
Castaneda, John vs. Gafurov, Muin
Jun 3, 2023 · closed
Castaneda, John vs. Santos, Daniel Gustavo
Oct 1, 2022 · closed
Johns, Miles vs. Castaneda, John
Feb 5, 2022 · closed
Wineland, Eddie vs. Castaneda, John
Feb 20, 2021 · closed
Wood, Nathaniel vs. Castaneda, John
Jul 25, 2020 · closed
Follow the money
Career purses & reported pay
Totals cover the sourced fight records below. Private contracts, undisclosed bonuses, taxes, and unreported endorsement money are outside these figures.
A sourced career subtotal is not available yet.
The story behind the fighter
- Career status
- ActiveUFC athlete profileChecked 9/26/2026
- Birthplace
- Dallas, United StatesUFC athlete profileChecked 9/26/2026
- UFC debut
- Aug. 1, 2017UFC athlete profileChecked 9/26/2026
- Work before fighting
- Full-time student.
- Education
- Attended Minnesota State University, Mankato, double majoring in Criminal Law and Spanish with a minor in social work.
- Prior Work
- Before his fighting career, he worked as a full-time student.
Inside the camp
- Fighting style
- MMAUFC athlete profileChecked 9/26/2026
- Listed weight
- 146.00 lbUFC athlete profileChecked 9/26/2026
- Leg reach
- 37.00 inUFC athlete profileChecked 9/26/2026
- Titles and martial arts background
- Combate Americas bantamweight champion and Driller Promotions lightweight champion, BJJ black belt
- Training base
- The AcademyUFC athlete profileChecked 9/26/2026
- Training Beginnings
- He wrestled in college during his freshman year before being introduced to an MMA program, eventually opting out of wrestling to pursue MMA.
Outside the cage
- Hero
- His mother is his hero, whom he describes as his best friend and someone who provided a love-filled life despite overcoming many hardships.
Favorites & rituals
- Favorite grappling technique
- : All
- Favorite striking technique
- : Flying knee
- Favorite Fighter
- TJ Dillashaw is his favorite fighter because he inspired Castaneda to fight from both southpaw and orthodox stances.
Sponsors & endorsements
Publicly documented brand partnerships and endorsement details.
No sourced details available yet.
Stay in the loop
Latest on John Castaneda
The receipts
Pay by event
No sourced payment records are available for this fighter yet.