“I go back and study fighting, and it’s not like I don’t put pressure on,” he said. “It’s not like I’m just dancing. I think even in the third round, when my coach told me that I had to go and win this round, I still put that pressure on. He kept coming back and I was always the one feeling the pressure. So, I don’t know man, it’s just a matter of studying and getting better. I think it doesn’t matter if it’s a loss or a win. I always try to improve and be a different fighter for the next fight.
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The next fight is this Saturday against Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Luis Pajuelo, and, this time, it’s Padilla with the advantage of experience, both in the Octagon and overall of professional gaming. So, will it be the Mexico native who charges at his Peruvian opponent and launches into another Erosa-style performance, or will he play the points game? For Padilla, it doesn’t matter, as long as he raises his hand in victory. And it’s not as easy as it seems in a sport where you can’t go into a fight and drop a round or two like you can in boxing. But, for now, Padilla is content with having 15 minutes to get the job done.
“When you’re inside the cage, five minutes is a long time,” he said. “There are people who don’t have the ability to maintain the same pace for five minutes. There are people who take time to create this flow. They are slow in the first round. But to be honest with you, 15 minutes seems like nothing, but inside the cage it’s a long time. In boxing you have 12 rounds, you can give a few rounds, maybe study your opponent. And, obviously, you only have two weapons to deal with and you’re able to refine them a bit more. But in MMA, you have the kicks, you have the knees, you have the elbows, you have the punches, you have the takedowns. So there are a lot of things to worry about. And I think these 15 minutes are enough.
