LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 26: (L-R) Opponents James Llontop of Peru and Chris Padilla face off during the UFC Fight Night weigh-in at UFC APEX on April 26, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Lightweight Chris Padilla arrives in the UFC on Saturday, a short-notice replacement who had been expecting to compete at Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat next month. Instead, Padilla gets the call to face James Llontop at UFC Vegas 91. The card is headlined by flyweights Matheus Nicolau and Alex Perez, and is the first event back for the promotion following UFC 300.
Chris “Taco” Padilla
Standing at five-foot-nine
Fighting at 155 lbs (lightweight)
28-years-old
Fighting out of Gardena, California, US
Training out of Fight Science MMA
A pro record of 13-6
7 KO/TKOs, 4 Submissions
How Padilla will fare in the UFC:
Padilla doesn’t have the resume a UFC fighter should have. Debuting in the UFC you shouldn’t already have six losses. Padilla has over and over proved he can’t beat a certain level of fighter. He lost to two former UFC fighters, including Gabe Green who has a losing record in the UFC, and two other veterans on the regional scene. Padilla started off 7-0 but is 4-4 in his last eight. He doesn’t have one truly good win on his record. He is coming off a win over former UFC fighter Justin Jaynes but Jaynes went 1-4 in the UFC.
What stands out for Padilla is a few things. His wrestling is okay but is better in the clinch using trips and knee traps. Padilla does his best work once he gets the takedown. His jiu-jitsu isn’t great but it’s good. More credit goes to his ground and pound. Padilla at least does a good job staying active with punches and elbows. The thing is, while he can do that to the low-tier regional guys, he’s unlikely to be able to do it to UFC-level talent.
Padilla is a tough guy but that only takes you so far. He isn’t good enough anywhere to be much of a threat in the UFC. Where he’s at his best, on the mat, is where he’s lost most of his fights. He’s not hard to take down and has lost twice by submission. Padilla isn’t going to out-strike anyone in the UFC. I can see him being gritty enough to squeak out a win if whoever he’s fighting gasses out. I don’t see Padilla getting a win in the UFC.
How he matches up with Llontop:
I’m not sold on Llontop but he does have a few things he does really well. His feints, kickboxing, and bodywork all are quality weapons he has. Someone with the same style as Padilla would probably beat Llontop. Llontop struggles with takedown defense and doesn’t have much grappling upside. I just don’t see Padilla having the wrestling to get the takedowns. On the feet Llontop is on another level as he should be able to rip the body and use some dirty boxing to rip Padilla apart. Llontop by TKO is my pick.
