After giving nods to Monkey D. Luffy of “One Piece” throughout fight week by wearing the fictional character’s signature straw hat, Fernando Padilla nicknamed himself after another well-known character, albeit a non-fictional one, after a beautiful submission win at UFC on ESPN 53.
“I mix it up – down, up, elbows, knees, submissions, everything,” Padilla said during his post-fight interview with Paul Felder. “I have everything! The Jon Jones of ’45. Mexican Jon Jones, dog!”
Before acknowledging the versatility of UFC heavyweight champion Jones, Padilla (16-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) wrapped up Luis Pajuelo with a slick standing D’Arce choke at 2:45 of Round 1 of the featherweight contest at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
