March 24, 2024 4:15 pm ET
LAS VEGAS – Fernando Padilla beat Luis Pajuelo with a second-round submission Saturday to open up the main card at UFC on ESPN 53 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Take a look inside the fight with Padilla, who got back in the win column after a loss to Kyle Nelson this past September.
Padilla on the fight’s key moment
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 23: (R-L) Luis Pajuelo of Peru battles Fernando Padilla of Mexico in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“When he went down, I remember his eyes were like really, really open. When I saw him, I was just trying to hit him, hit him, hit him. I hear the referee saying, ‘Move, move, move,’ and I just kpet hitting him, kept going. He secured my arms a few times and then I was able to take it out. I hit him with a few elbows.
“I saw that he didn’t like them and as soon as he turned his back on me I knew it. I was like, ‘I’m going to go for a rear naked choke or a guillotine.’ But then I saw his arm going down and I’m long for a reason, right? So just wrap my arms around like a D’Arce and he was already a little bit up I just put my weight on the cage.”
Padilla on a clear-cut win
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MARCH 23: (R-L) Fernando Padilla of Mexico battles Luis Pajuelo of Peru in a featherweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at UFC APEX on March 23, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
“They can say whatever about my first win and that it was controversial and everything, but I was in the cage, I was present, and I was hitting him until the referee told me to stop. Right now, again, a lot of people told me, ‘You need to be more aggressive. Don’t stop just because the referee tells you. Make him take you off of your opponent.’ It’s something that I’ve been working on in the gym constantly: Be a little bit more aggressive until the finish. It’s amazing to be able to prove that. This is not controversy.”
Padilla on what he wants next
Fernando Padilla
“I would like to keep fighting. I would like to keep this streak going. This year, the Sept. 16 is going to be really big because they’re trying to do it in The Sphere (in Las Vegas). If they’re going to save me for that, it’s perfect. Whoever they put in front of me, I will be ready for it.”
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 on ESPN 53.
UFC on ESPN 53
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