Athletes
Chris Padilla | Blocking Out The Noise
Lightweight Prospect Looks To Secure His Fourth Win Inside The Octagon When He Faces Ismael Bonfim In Las Vegas
For Chris Padilla, it doesn’t matter where he is fighting. He locks in no matter the environment. From the walls of UFC APEX in Las Vegas to the screaming fans at the O2 Arena in London, Padilla is all about business.
The 30-year-old admitted it was special to compete in London earlier this year when he faced Jai Herbert. He enjoyed getting to meet fans from all over the world and conversing with people from over the pond. During that fight, the lightweight secured a split decision win over England’s Herbert to mark his third win inside the Octagon, and a level up in his competition.
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“I think Jai is a great opponent because I feel like I got to fight Jai at his best just because when he fought the other guys, I feel like he was a little bit more reckless with his attack,” Padilla said. “With me it felt like I really had to fight a veteran level fighter, with great kickboxing skills and things like that. I think in my own way, it just leveled me up, so I'll do it any day of the week.”
During that fight, Padilla faced a bit of adversity when he suffered a nasty cut above his eye, leaving a stream of blood coming down his face throughout the duration of the fight.
And while fighting in front of fans is an exciting thing for many fighters, Padilla learned he has to turn the volume down when competing inside an arena when there’s constantly noise. When the blood started to trickle down his face after getting hurt by Herbert, the 30-year-old didn’t freeze up or freak out. Instead, he remained relaxed and calm, and it allowed him to work better.
Saturday, Padilla makes the walk to the Octagon for the fourth time in his UFC career to face Brazil’s Ismael Bonfim, whose brother is headlining Saturday’s card inside UFC APEX. Bonfim comes into the matchup with two wins and two defeats in the UFC. Those losses came against Benoît Saint Denis and Nazim Sadkyhov. But for Padilla, he isn’t worrying about Bonfim’s career up to this point.
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“You can't really take away, all you can do is say I see little bits of holes here and there,” Padilla said. “For me, I decide how I beat my opponent more on their strengths and their weaknesses, if that makes sense. I need to see what's the limit to your skill. For me, just based off all the fights, I've watched of Bonfim, his skills have stayed consistently the same. For me, there's been no real evolution of what I'm looking at. I've known I've gotten sharper. You guys haven't seen me in seven months, so this whole seven months has been my training arc the entire time. I can do anything, and I will do anything by any means.”
It may be seven months since Padilla’s last fight, but he believes the work he’s put in during that time will shine brightly on Saturday night. And while he believes Bonfim may have an advantage in boxing, Padilla’s confident he’s favored in all other areas of mixed martial arts.
In terms of how he visualizes getting the job done, it’s not about a knockout or a submission, it’s a different way to have the fight end.
“I want to overwhelm him,” Padilla said. “There's something about, having the referee have to pull you off that's delightful. There's no other way. I'm sure knocking people out is awesome, subbing people feels good, but when the referee pulls you, it’s like ‘hey, let the man live.’ So, I like that.”
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And if he gets the win on Saturday, he wants you to remember his name.
“I'll say this, guys, my name is Chris ‘Taco’ Padilla. I'm going to be the greatest fighter of all time. Whether I win or lose against Bonfim, it doesn't really matter to me. I think, when it's all said and done, my skills will speak, and the way I win will speak, so, my job is to win.”
UFC Fight Night: Bonfim vs Brown took place live from UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 8, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!