The highlight finishes continue at the UFC Sacramento preliminary card, as Chris Padilla went from going the distance against veteran Nasrat Haqparast to scoring a literal last-second submission.
Padilla’s kick-focused attack helped him gain control in the opening round as he worked aorund Haqparast’s body. The veteran, however, came back stronger in the second round, pressuring in return as he worked his own combinations and body shots.
A back-and-forth third round saw Padilla drop Haqparast with a right hoook with about 90 seconds remaining. He followed that with elbows and hammerfists, but Haqparast was able to survive that onslaught.
Padilla locked in a standing arm-triangle choke in the closing seconds, with the action going to the ground. Though the horn sounded, Haqparast appeared to be out cold and twitching, prompting referee Frank Trigg to wave off the bout — and the judges’ scorecards — in favor of a technical submission win for Padilla.
Padilla is now 3-1-1 in the UFC. This is his first fight since going to a draw with MarQuen Mederos at UFC 327 last April.
