At UFC Vegas 72 on Saturday, Julian Erosa welcomes Fernando Padilla to the octagon in a featherweight match-up.
Erosa (28-10) knows that the UFC could have given him a handful of guys that are “tougher outs,” in his opinion. But he also recognizes that the UFC has its own plan for various fighters, and that seems to be the case with Mexico’s Padilla, who has waited two years due to visa struggles to make his debut.
“Juicy J” also knows he’ll have the experience edge in the fight, especially given he’s been in Padilla’s shoes.
“When I was coming off the Ultimate Fighter, I was 14-2, he’s 14-4. I was about the same age he was. Had my UFC debut, I won that by split decision, but it was tunnel vision when I walked out there,” Erosa explained during Wednesday’s UFC Vegas 72 media day. “I was so star struck. You go out there, you see the commentators, you see that it’s real. And now only is it his debut, he hasn’t fought in a couple years. To fight a guy like me, it’s not a fun out for anybody’s debut. I’m 6-6 in the UFC, so I’m a 50/50 record, but it’s the experience that comes behind it.”
Erosa knows he’s going to be comfortable out there on Saturday. “If [Padilla]’s not, it’s going to be detrimental to him, and that will be my advantage.”
Of course, two years, “especially a kid his age, you can really make leaps and bounds in your skill sets and your ability to adapt and become better,” Erosa noted, when asked what to expect given Padilla’s time off. “But I feel everybody has their strengths, and when you get into a high-pressure situation, you fall back on those things.”
Erosa himself is not immune to that either. “For me, it’s slugging it out a little bit. Even though I go in there with a game plan, it kind of falls apart a little bit. Not necessarily because my game plan’s not working, I’m just starting to feel more comfortable and letting go a little more.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 72 media day appearance by Julian Erosa above.
