Chris Padilla

Padilla fought Mederos to a majority draw in Miami in one of the livelier prelims on the card. The result mattered because Padilla had entered on a four-fight UFC and late-regional winning streak and came out with his unbeaten run extended rather than snapped.

Key moments

• Officially fought to a majority draw after three rounds at UFC 327.
• The bout followed Padilla's second-round stoppage win over Ismael Bonfim in November 2025.
• It moved his professional record to 17-6-1.

Padilla weathered Bonfim's early offense and turned the fight with pressure and pace before scoring a second-round TKO in Las Vegas. It was a statement win because Bonfim had entered as a dangerous prospect and Padilla left with his fourth straight victory.

Key moments

• Stopped Bonfim by punches at 4:30 of round two.
• The finish pushed Padilla to 17-6 before the draw with Mederos.
• It extended his unbeaten streak to eight fights.

Padilla went to London and nicked a split decision over Herbert in a competitive three-rounder. The win mattered because it showed he could handle a longer, more technical opponent on the road and moved him to 3-0 inside the Octagon.

Key moments

• Beat Herbert by split decision after fifteen minutes.
• The victory followed the doctor-stoppage win over Zhu Rong in September 2024.
• It gave Padilla his third straight UFC win.

Padilla's pressure and damage forced a doctor stoppage against Zhu Rong late in the second round at the Apex. It was an important follow-up to his debut because it gave him consecutive UFC wins and reinforced how much attritional offense he can pile up over time.

Key moments

• Defeated Zhu Rong by doctor stoppage at 4:14 of round two.
• The finish came in Padilla's second UFC appearance.
• It set up the March 2025 matchup with Jai Herbert.

Padilla made his UFC debut count by submitting Llontop with a rear-naked choke in the first round. The win mattered because it turned a short-notice opportunity into an immediate foothold on the roster after years spent moving through regional promotions.

Key moments

• Submitted Llontop at 4:33 of round one in his UFC debut.
• The result moved Padilla to 14-6 at the time.
• It launched the four-fight UFC unbeaten run he carried into UFC 327.

Padilla stopped former UFC fighter Justin Jaynes in the second round at Up Next Fighting 13, extending the regional surge that immediately preceded his call to the Octagon. Beating a recognizable veteran made the result stand out more than a routine stay-busy win on the local scene.

Key moments

• Won by TKO from punches in round two.
• The finish came at 3:10 of the second frame.
• Closed Padilla's pre-UFC run with a seventh straight victory.

Padilla went deep into the fight with Serob Minasyan before finding a rear-naked choke in the third round at UNF 7. The late finish reinforced that his regional winning streak was not built only on quick starts and that he could still close after extended rounds.

Key moments

• Won by rear-naked choke in round three.
• The submission landed at 3:02 of the final round.
• Kept his post-2022 rebound rolling with another finish.

Padilla opened 2023 by stopping Eljeria Portee late in the first round at UNF 4. It continued the momentum he rebuilt after the Darren Smith Jr. setback and kept the regional streak moving toward the Minasyan and Jaynes wins that followed.

Key moments

• Won by first-round TKO from punches.
• The stoppage came at 4:07 of round one.
• Started the three-fight 2023 run that helped earn UFC attention.

Padilla dropped a split decision to Darren Smith Jr. after three rounds at the inaugural Up Next Fighting event. The result briefly interrupted his climb, but he answered it well by winning his next three regional appearances before reaching the UFC.

Key moments

• Lost a split decision over fifteen minutes.
• The fight followed his quick body-shot knockout of Emilio Williams.
• He bounced back from the setback with three straight regional wins.

Padilla needed less than a minute to knock Williams out with a body shot at Celtic Gladiator 31. It was one of the sharpest quick finishes on his record and showed the kind of early aggression that kept defining his regional run.

Key moments

• Won by body-shot knockout in the first round.
• The finish came just 50 seconds into the fight.
• Set up the May 2022 booking with Darren Smith Jr.

Devon Brock outpointed Padilla over three rounds at LXF 5, handing him a unanimous decision loss. The defeat left Padilla needing another rebuild phase, which he began with the quick Williams knockout the following year.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Came more than three years after his previous documented fight.
• Padilla responded in his next outing with a 50-second finish.

Andrews caught Padilla with a rear-naked choke in the second round at CES 49. It was Padilla's second straight loss in a step-up stretch against stronger opposition after the Bellator defeat to Gabriel Green earlier that year.

Key moments

• Lost by rear-naked choke in round two.
• The submission came at 2:04 of the second frame.
• Marked Padilla's second consecutive defeat in 2018.

Padilla's Bellator appearance ended with Gabriel Green forcing a first-round technical submission via rear-naked choke at Bellator 192. The loss came in one of the highest-profile settings of Padilla's pre-UFC career and was later followed by another difficult matchup with Nate Andrews.

Key moments

• Lost by first-round technical submission.
• The finish was recorded as a rear-naked choke against Gabriel Green.
• Brought Padilla's 2017 momentum to a halt on a major Bellator card.

Padilla returned to the win column by stopping Quinton McCottrell in the first round at Fight Club OC. The finish rebuilt momentum after the Aguilera loss and helped earn him the Bellator booking against Gabriel Green three months later.

Key moments

• Won by TKO from punches in round one.
• The stoppage came at 3:13 of the opening frame.
• Served as the rebound performance before Bellator 192.

Padilla edged Ivan Castillo by split decision over three rounds at Brave CF 7. The win showed he could carry his game through a full fifteen minutes against a tougher opponent and gave him some momentum before the late-2017 swing that included Fight Club OC and Bellator.

Key moments

• Won a split decision after three rounds.
• Stood as his first documented victory after the Jason Gonzalez and Christian Aguilera losses.
• Kept him moving on an international regional show.

Aguilera beat Padilla by unanimous decision at King of the Cage: Warranted Aggression, extending a rough spell in which Padilla dropped back-to-back fights. The setback made the 2017 bounce-back wins more important in the arc of his career.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision over fifteen minutes.
• Followed the June 2016 TKO loss to Jason Gonzalez.
• Left Padilla looking for a reset entering 2017.

Jason Gonzalez stopped Padilla with punches in the second round at RFA 38. It was an early setback against a stronger regional name and began the two-fight skid Padilla later had to work out of before stabilizing his record again.

Key moments

• Lost by TKO in round two.
• The stoppage came at 3:14 of the second frame.
• Started a difficult run that continued against Christian Aguilera.

Padilla finished Segura with a rear-naked choke late in the opening round at RFA 33. The win pushed his early-career momentum forward and earned him a higher-profile regional spot before the Gonzalez matchup the following June.

Key moments

• Won by rear-naked choke in round one.
• The submission landed at 4:07 of the opening frame.
• Gave Padilla another finish on a nationally recognized regional card.

Padilla kept his early run moving by submitting George Hernandez in the first round at Xplode Fight Series: Taco. The result showed the grappling side of a résumé that was already stacking fast finishes in several different ways.

Key moments

• Won by rear-naked choke in the first round.
• The finish came at 3:52 of round one.
• Followed the 39-second guillotine win over Kris Armbrister.

Padilla needed only 39 seconds to guillotine Armbrister at Xplode Fight Series: Wasteland. The fast submission remains one of the quickest wins on his record and highlighted how dangerous he already was in scramble-heavy openings.

Key moments

• Won by guillotine choke in just 39 seconds.
• Collected another first-round finish during his debut-year run.
• Set up the March 2015 matchup with George Hernandez.

Padilla went the distance for the first time on his record and beat Aaron Neveu by unanimous decision at Xplode Fight Series: Cerebral. The win mattered because it showed he could still bank rounds cleanly when the early finish did not appear.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision after three rounds.
• Stood as the first decision win of his pro career.
• Came between two fast first-round stoppages in 2014.

Padilla stopped Wyckoff a minute into the fight at Twentynine Palms Fight Night, continuing the rapid-start trend from his first months as a pro. The finish kept his early record moving in a straight line toward bigger regional opportunities.

Key moments

• Won by first-round TKO from punches.
• The stoppage came at 1:01 of the opening frame.
• Followed his eight-second knockout of Julian Hernandez.

Padilla blitzed Hernandez in eight seconds with punches at Xplode Fight Series: Adrenaline. It is one of the fastest wins on the entire record and an early sign that his career would be built on pressure and immediate offense.

Key moments

• Won by knockout in eight seconds.
• Scored the finish with punches in the opening exchange.
• Remains one of the quickest victories of his career.

Padilla opened his professional career by stopping Damiani in 44 seconds at Xplode Fight Series: Fire. The debut immediately established the pattern that would define much of his record: fast starts, heavy pressure, and an ability to overwhelm opponents early.

Key moments

• Won his pro debut by first-round TKO.
• The finish came at 44 seconds of round one.
• Started his career with the first of many quick stoppages.