Chris Padilla put on a spectacular performance at UFC 327, defeating MarQel Mederos
Despite coming into the bout on short notice, Padilla put on an exhaustive pace, staying busy with a slew of inside kicks and jabs. The constant pressure continued in the second round for Padilla, though it was a much closer affair than the first. Still, Padilla put Mederos in a position where he’d likely need a finish to walk away with a victory.
Padilla had no interest in letting that happen, securing a takedown with just over three minutes to go in the final round.
It didn’t take long for Mederos to climb his way back up, though it came via a healthy assist from a fence grab that referee Keith Peterson chose to ignore.
However, an eye poke in the third from Mederos was something Peterson could not look past. With just over a minute to go, Mederos found himself with a point deduction and in desperate need of a finish. Unfortunately, Mederos was never able to find his moment as Padilla’s pressure continued through the final bell.
That takes us to the scorecards where ‘Taco’ would secure his fifth straight win inside the Octagon.
Official Result: Chris Padilla def. MarQuel Mederos via majority decision (29-27, 29-27, 28-28).
