UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues  22 Aug 2026 · Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, California, US

Chris Padilla defeats Nasrat Haqparast by Submission

Submission · arm-triangle choke

Round 3 · 4:59

Padilla vs Haqparast · UFC Fight Night: Hernandez vs. Rodrigues

At a glance

Analysts, AI and market side by side. Open a tab for the detail.

What happened

The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.

Padilla and Haqparast traded in a competitive, back-and-forth fight across the first two rounds.

Padilla dropped Haqparast in round three and immediately hunted for a finish.

With 30 seconds left, Padilla clamped an arm-triangle choke and referee Frank Trigg stopped the fight in the final second at 4:59.

Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in

Case for Padilla

Padilla lands 6.19 significant strikes a minute and absorbs 4.88, a narrower margin than his opponent carries. His route is to keep the exchanges honest and make Haqparast pay for the volume he throws.

Case for Haqparast

Haqparast throws slightly more, at 6.36 landed per minute, and defends far better at 63% against 49%. His route is to win the pure striking contest on defence and let Padilla wear the difference.

What We Were Watching For

  • The defensive gap: 63% striking defence against 49% is the widest split in either fighter’s tape.
  • Haqparast absorbs 6.00 significant strikes a minute against Padilla’s 4.88 — he takes more even while defending better, which points to a high-traffic fight.
  • Neither man wrestles: 0.34 and 1.13 takedowns per 15 minutes, so a grappling exchange would be out of character for both.
  • Both carry high takedown defence (86% and 80%), so a late shot to steal a round is unlikely to land.
Records & career stats
17-6-1
Record
18-6-0
4-0-1 last 5
Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
—
United States
Nationality
Morocco
30
Age
30
1.75 m
Height — Haqparast leads
1.78 m
188 cm
Reach — Padilla leads
183 cm
Orthodox
StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
—
82%
Finish rateFinish %Finish rateThe share of a fighter’s wins that ended inside the distance — by KO/TKO or submission — rather than going to the judges’ scorecards. Higher means more finishes.
—
9
Wins by KO/TKOKO wins
—
6
Wins by submissionSub wins
—
6.67
Sig. strikes landed / minStr / min — Padilla leadsSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
6.24
4.85
Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbs / min — Padilla leadsSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
6.18
51%
Striking defenseStrike def. — Haqparast leadsStriking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
62%
83%
Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
85%
11:23
Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
11:56

Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect the fighter data snapshot used for this page. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.

Who Called It?

How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.

Analyst picks: MMA JOEY Hit; JakeGerberMMA Hit; We Want Picks Hit.

Analyst prediction scorecards
Expand row
MMA JOEY96 resolved calls
Padilla · DecPadilla · Sub R3HitMissNot called
JakeGerberMMA116 resolved calls
Padilla · DecPadilla · Sub R3HitMissNot called
We Want Picks145 resolved calls
Padilla · to winPadilla · Sub R3HitNot calledNot called

3 of 3 nailed it.

The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.

AI Predictions — Results

Pre-fight calls compared with the recorded result. Winner, method and round are scored separately; market context names whether it comes from a qualified sportsbook snapshot or historic market reconstruction.

Actual Padilla · Submission · R3

Closest probability ChatGPT put 55% on Padilla.

ChatGPT40 of 70 winner picks correct · 57% hit rate
55% Padilla
45% Haqparast
PickPadilla · DecisionActualPadilla · Submission · R3
WinnerHitMethodMissRoundNot called
Gemini45 of 70 winner picks correct · 64% hit rate
53% Padilla
47% Haqparast
PickPadilla · DecisionActualPadilla · Submission · R3
WinnerHitMethodMissRoundNot called
AI Predictions — pre-fight snapshot

AI Predictions

Independent forecasts from ChatGPT and Gemini · latest 20 Aug, 2 days before the fight

Both models pick Padilla

Both expect a win by decision, with win chances from 53% (Gemini) to 55% (ChatGPT).

Method mix differs most for KO/TKO: 28% (Gemini) to 32% (ChatGPT), a 4-point range.

  • ChatGPT

    40 of 70 winner picks correct · 57% hit rate

    Pick Padilla by decision

    Win probability: Padilla 55%, Haqparast 45%.

    GPT-5 · 20 Aug

    Low confidence
  • Gemini

    45 of 70 winner picks correct · 64% hit rate

    Pick Padilla by decision

    Win probability: Padilla 53%, Haqparast 47%.

    Gemini · 20 Aug

    Low confidence

ChatGPT reads the fight as “Padilla is a narrow pick in a competitive lightweight matchup. His recent TKO win suggests a meaningful finishing threat, but both fighters have frequently reached close decisions, making a three-round verdict the likeliest outcome. Haqparast's experience in tightly contested bouts keeps the forecast near even.”

What to watch

  • Padilla carries credible recent finishing upside
  • Both fighters have produced close three-round results
  • Haqparast's decision experience narrows the matchup

Swing factor

Whether Padilla can apply sustained pressure without giving Haqparast enough clean countering opportunities to control the scorecards.

More detail1 area differs

The models differ on probability distribution.

Forecast comparison by model
DetailChatGPTGemini
How it endsKO/TKOSubmissionDecisionTop to bottom in each stack
Round——
Forecast comparison by model
DetailChatGPTGemini
How it endsKO/TKOSubmissionDecisionTop to bottom in each stack
Round——

ChatGPT

Pick

Padilla by decision

Low confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score.
Win probability: Padilla 55%, Haqparast 45%

Winner probability by method

KO/TKO, 32% overall: Padilla 18%, Haqparast 14%
Submission, 8% overall: Padilla 5%, Haqparast 3%
Decision, 60% overall: Padilla 32%, Haqparast 28%

How ChatGPT sees the fight

Padilla is a narrow pick in a competitive lightweight matchup. His recent TKO win suggests a meaningful finishing threat, but both fighters have frequently reached close decisions, making a three-round verdict the likeliest outcome. Haqparast's experience in tightly contested bouts keeps the forecast near even.

Keys to victory

  • Padilla carries credible recent finishing upside
  • Both fighters have produced close three-round results
  • Haqparast's decision experience narrows the matchup

X-factor

Whether Padilla can apply sustained pressure without giving Haqparast enough clean countering opportunities to control the scorecards.

GPT-5 · 20 Aug40 of 70 winner picks correct · 57% hit rate

Gemini

Pick

Padilla by decision

Low confidenceConfidence labelBased on the higher win probability: Low below 58%, Medium 58–69%, High 70% or more. This is a coarse probability band, not a separate calibrated score.
Win probability: Padilla 53%, Haqparast 47%

Winner probability by method

KO/TKO, 28% overall: Padilla 16%, Haqparast 12%
Submission, 12% overall: Padilla 7%, Haqparast 5%
Decision, 60% overall: Padilla 30%, Haqparast 30%

How Gemini sees the fight

Chris Padilla and Nasrat Haqparast meet in a lightweight bout featuring two experienced fighters known for competitive, closely contested matchups. Padilla enters having secured a stoppage win against Ismael Bonfim alongside split-decision and majority-draw results, whereas Haqparast looks to rebound from a recent first-round knockout loss following back-to-back split-decision victories. In a matchup where distance striking and pace are expected to dictate the terms, Padilla holds a slight edge in recent momentum over the course of three rounds.

Keys to victory

  • Both competitors have recent histories of tight contests resulting in split decisions or draws.
  • Padilla has demonstrated recent finishing capability with a second-round stoppage over Ismael Bonfim.
  • Haqparast must re-establish defensive discipline following a first-round stoppage defeat in his last outing.

X-factor

Haqparast's ability to maintain high defensive output over three rounds against Padilla's forward momentum.

Gemini · 20 Aug45 of 70 winner picks correct · 64% hit rate

AI-generated · Not betting advice · 18+ (21+ where required) · Gambling help (opens in new tab) ↗

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