Junior welterweight Kendo Castaneda has amassed an unbeaten record fighting modest opposition thus far. To be taken seriously as a legit prospect and later as a contender, Castaneda understands he needs to step up his level of opposition.

Castaneda will face gatekeeper Eudy Bernardo tonight at Cowboys Dance Hall in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas. The 10-round bout will air live on UFC Fight Pass (9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT).

At Wednesday’s weigh-in, both Castaneda and Bernardo tiped the scales at 140 pounds.

Castaneda (15-0, 7 knockouts) last fought on December 1, defeating Gilbert Venegas Jr. in a clash of unbeaten fighters.

The 25-year-old Castaneda, who has fought under the Roy Jones Jr. Promotions banner since last summer, defeated Jesus Gutierrez by unanimous decision on August 10.

Castaneda has looked impressive thus far but will face a significant test against Bernardo, who has won three of his last four bouts, all by stoppage. Guy Taylor, the matchmaker for Roy Jones Jr. Promotions, believes the time is right for Castaneda to face a fighter like Bernardo.

“This is Kendo’s first appearance on UFC Fight Pass and he’s facing a fighter who has more knockouts than Kendo has fights,” Taylor told RingTV.com on Wednesday afternoon. “A victory for Kendo will solidify him as one of those prospects to keep an eye on in 2019.”

Kendo Castaneda

Bernardo (24-3, 18 KOs), who hails from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, was stopped in round two by contender Mario Barrios on March 10 of last year.

Bernardo is best known for his highlight-reel knockout loss to then-lightweight contender Mason Menard in April of 2016.

In the co-feature bout, welterweights Xavier Wilson (10-0-1, 1 KO), of Baltimore, squares off against Austin’s John Arellano (9-1, 9 KOs) in an eight-round bout.

Joseph Rodriguez (14-0-1, 2 KOs), another fighter who resides in San Antonio, will face Darryl Hayes (6-12, 1 KO), of Houston, in a six-round lightweight bout.

Opening the UFC Fight Pass telecast will be a four-round featherweight bout between Henry Arredondo (2-0) and Jahaziel Vazquez (2-9, 1 KO).

In preliminary action, welterweight Jerrico Walton (11-0, 7 KOs) will square off against Juan Rodriguez (8-13-1, 6 KOs) in a four-round bout.

Francisco A. Salazar has written for RingTV.com since October of 2013 and has covered boxing in Southern California and abroad since 2000. Francisco also covers boxing for the Ventura County (California) Star newspaper, BoxingScene.com and FightNights.com. He can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @FSalazarBoxing.

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