LAS VEGAS – Fernando Padilla beat Julian Erosa with a first-round TKO Saturday on the main card at UFC Fight Night 223 in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Padilla, who was supposed to make his UFC debut in October 2021 before visa issues derailed the fight.
Julian Erosa vs. Fernando Padilla
Updated records: Padilla (15-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC), Erosa (28-11 MMA, 6-7 UFC)
Key stat: Padilla has won five of his past six fights, including four by stoppage.
Padilla on the fight's key moment
“It’s indescribable how I feel right now – just the whole situation, how it is. It could (have been) really bad, but it went the other way. I’m glad that it happened how it happened. It’s just amazing to be here.
“Obviously, I pictured a finish in my head. … I knew that was going to land. I knew how it was going to go. I knew how it was going to land and I was just flowing with it. I didn’t even throw it hard. It was just pop, pop, pop, landing, landing, landing.”
Padilla on the stoppage
“I understand. I get it. I saw Julian standing up and talking to the referee right away. What I thought is that the first time he went down and he shot on me, he was good. He was fine, for a fact. When he stood up the second time, I think if it was just one punch and then I stopped, I’d understand that. But the way that I was flowing, I was tagging him constantly. It wasn’t just one shot. It was constant, constant, constant – 1, 2, 3. So I feel that’s what the ref saw. The last time he went down, I saw it myself. I saw his eyes rolling back, and I think that’s what the referee saw.”
Padilla on what he wants next
“I hope (to fight again) soon. I want to go back home, I want to talk to my coach, talk to my manager, talk to my partners, and see what’s next – check another fight, check another opponent, and let’s see what’s happening.”
To hear more from Padilla, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.
