Don’t mess with Chris Padilla’s elbows.
On Saturday evening at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Padilla faced Rongzhu in a lightweight fight at UFC Vegas 97, and “Taco” delivered the goods, stopping the Road to UFC Season 2 winner in the second round. It was a competitive matchup between the two until Padilla landed a standing elbow perfectly on Rongzhu’s eye socket, which immediately swelled up and left the Chinese fighter with a grotesque hematoma over his left eye.
TACO PADILLIA
— UFC (@ufc) September 7, 2024
The fight ends with a TKO from a HUGE elbow in Round 2! #UFCVegas97 pic.twitter.com/FsCFijUp13
The elbow that sealed the deal #UFCVegas97 pic.twitter.com/W3uQm0GU3F
— UFC (@ufc) September 7, 2024
Rongzhu attempted to protest the stoppage but with the massive swelling over his eye, the ringside doctor had no choice but to end the contest, awarding Padilla the first TKO victory of his UFC career.
The win moves Padilla to 2-0 in his UFC career, who afterward called for another Chinese fighter, Maheshate. Rongzhu, meanwhile, dropped to 1-3 in his UFC career, though this was the first loss of his second stint with the promotion, as he recently rejoined the UFC after winning the lightweight tournament on season 2 of Road to UFC.
