“That changed me,” he said. “It was like, wow, I didn’t just show him that this is what I want, but I made him change his opinion with the way that I am right now. And I’ve been living by myself here and passing through ups and downs so hard that I know he sees a different man in me. He’s really proud and I just want to keep making him proud.”
You know he is. Padilla, training with Colin Oyama and his team of killers, won eight of his next 11 fights, including a 2017 submission of UFC vet Darrick Minner. In May of 2021, he knocked out Cameron Graves on Dana White’s Lookin’ for a Fight, and he got signed to the UFC.
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He’s been waiting ever since, as visa issues kept him from the Octagon. Yet, more mature than most, the 26-year-old patiently stayed in shape and kept sharp until the phone rang.
“Times of God are perfect and I’m just enjoying the ride and I’m glad it is happening how it’s happening now,” he said. “I think it is the best thing that could happen to me. I can’t believe I was a kid watching ‘Lookin’ for a Fight’ in Chihuahua on my computer and then out of nowhere I’m the one who Dana’s talking to. And then two years later we are here. Obviously, it’s been full of up and downs, but patience is a gift that I have and I’ve been really patient, so now it’s just time to go and do my job.”
The first day at work is on Saturday at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, with veteran Julian Erosa leading orientation. Erosa is not known for being kind to prospects, as his wins over Sean Woodson, Charles Jourdain, Steven Peterson and Hakeem Dawodu prove. But the lanky featherweight is known for being willing to jump into a fight at the slightest provocation, and that’s just fine with Padilla.
“Honestly, it’s a great fight,” he said. “I respect everything that Julian has been doing and he’s a veteran in the UFC, for sure. He’s been through it all and this is a guy who’s going to bring a fight to me and I love that. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”
