UFC Vegas 72: Who is Fernando Padilla?
By Amy Kaplan
Everything you need to know about Fernando Padilla ahead of his UFC debut.
Some hardcore fans have probably already had Fernando Padilla on their radar. He's a highly touted featherweight prospect but has been missing from the MMA scene for quite some time.
Padilla was originally slated to make his UFC debut in October 2021 but it was halted when there were issues with his visa and he's been sidelined ever since.
Prior to his UFC signing, Padilla has won four of his last five under regional banners like LFA, Fury FC and King of the Cage. Three of those four wins came vias stoppage (2 via KO/TKO, 1 submission).
It will be interesting to see how he's improved during his extended layoff.
Fernando Padilla will fight Julian Erosa at UFC Vegas 71 in Las Vegas
On Saturday he'll fight Julian Erosa who is coming off a first-round KO loss to Alex Caceras in December 2022. Prior to that he was on a three-fight win streak and would be a huge problem for any other debuting fighter.