# Luis Palomino

Luis Vicente Palomino (born October 9, 1980) is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter and is the current lightweight champion of the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship. He became the BKFC's first "double champ" after winning the welterweight title and defending his lightweight title in 2022. As of 15 February 2025, he is tied at #5 in the BKFC men's pound-for-pound rankings. He also competed for the World Series of Fighting and Absolute Championship Berkut.

## Mixed martial arts career
### Early career

Palomino began his career with a 3–0 record in the Absolute Fighting Championship promotion, one of which being a victory over future The Ultimate Fighter 7 competitor Jeremy May via unanimous decision.
In his final fight prior to joining Bellator, Palomino fought John Mahlow for the XFC Lightweight Championship, in a bout that was featured on the Inside MMA show. Palomino lost the fight via a rear-naked choke submission in the fifth round.

### Bellator Fighting Championships

Palomino then joined Bellator to take part in their Bellator Season One: Featherweight Tournament. His opening round fight was against Estevan Payan at Bellator 1. Palomino lost the bout via split decision.
Despite his elimination from the featherweight tournament, Palomino stayed with the Bellator promotion and continued in the featherweight division. His opponent at Bellator 6 was Nick Gonzalez and Palomino defeated him via TKO (punches) in the second minute of the first round.
Palomino next faced Troy Gerhart at Bellator 12 in a 150lb bout and defeated him via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).
After the first season of Bellator ended, Palomino took a few fights outside of the promotion. Palomino lost his first fight to eventual The Ultimate Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins via submission (rear naked choke) in the second round. Palomino followed the loss up with two victories including wins over Rafael Dias by TKO and Jorge Masvidal via split decision.
In his next Bellator appearance at Bellator 21, Palomino defeated Jose Figueroa via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout.
Palomino then stayed with Bellator into the third season. His first fight of the season was against Yves Edwards at Bellator 24, which he lost via unanimous decision.

### Championship Fighting Alliance

Palomino signed with local promotion Championship Fighting Alliance, Palomino quickly made his CFA debut on May 6, 2012 in Miami, Florida against Peter Grimes for the inaugural CFA Featherweight championship at CFA's inaugural event; CFA: The Title. Palomino defeated Grimes by submission due to an armbar at 4:59 of round 4.
Palomino returned at CFA 04: Izquierdo vs. Cenoble on December 17, 2011 in Coral Gables, Florida against well known journeyman Charles Bennett. Palomino was able to use his speed advantage to counter punch the aggressive Bennett and ultimately knocked Bennett out at 3:59 of the first round. Palomino became only the second man to knock Bennet out.
Palomino was scheduled to fight former Maximum Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion Antonio McKee at CFA 06 on 13 April 2012 in Coral Gables, Florida. McKee was forced off the card due to an injury and was replaced by James Warfield, the fight was originally scheduled for the CFA Lightweight Championship but Warfield did not make the required weight of 155 pounds thus rescheduling the fight to a non-title bout. Warfield knocked Palomino down in the first round but Palomino was able to recover and control the rest of his fight by using his unorthodox and fast striking to pick Warfield thus winning by unanimous decision.
Palomino next faced 2x Hero's Grand Prix winner and Strikeforce veteran Gesias Cavalcante at CFA 07: Never Give Up on 30 June 2012 in Coral Gables, Florida. Palomino became the first man to ever finish Cavalcante and he did so via third-round knockout due to punches.
Palomino returned to action at CFA 09 on 19 January 2013 when he faced PRIDE veteran Luiz Firmino for the CFA Lightweight Championship, Palomino lost a unanimous decision after being constantly outgrappled and taken down throughout the fight.
Palomino bounced back from his previous defeat on 24 May 2013 at CFA 11 by knocking out Robert Washington in the first round.
Palomino faced The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Efrain Escudero at CFA 12 on 12 October 2013. He lost the bout via unanimous decision.

### World Series of Fighting

Palomino made his WSOF debut on January 18, 2014 in Hollywood, Florida against Jorge Patino, Palomino won via second-round knockout.
Palomino faced champion Justin Gaethje for the WSOF Lightweight Championship at WSOF 19 on March 28, 2015. He lost the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the third round.
Palomino faced Gaethje in a rematch on September 18, 2015 at WSOF 23. It was again a back-and-forth battle that Palomino lost via TKO in the second round.
Palomino next entered WSOF's one night Lightweight tournament to determine the number one contender for the Lightweight Championship. He faced Rich Patishnock in the quarter-finals and won via knockout in the first round. He then faced Brian Foster in the semifinals and lost via TKO in the second round.

### Absolute Championship Berkut

Palomino faced Chechen fighter Musa Khamanaev on January 13, 2017 at ACB 51. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.
In the second fight he faced Marcos Vinicius Schmitz on May 20, 2017 at ACB 61. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Palomino faced Yusuf Raisov on August 19, 2017 at ACB 67. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

## Bare-knuckle boxing

After signing a three-fight contract with the BKFC, Palomino made his debut in bare-knuckle boxing against Elvin Brito at BKFC 10 on February 15, 2020. Palomino won the fight via unanimous decision and advanced to the four-man BKFC Super Welterweight Tournament finals. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
Palomino was initially scheduled to face Jim Alers at BKFC 11 on March 14, 2020 for the Lightweight Championship, but the event was postponed to take place on June 20, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was subsequently postponed yet again and two weeks before the rescheduled date July 24, 2020, Alers withdrew after his camp member tested positive for COVID-19 and was replaced by Isaac Vallie-Flagg. Palomino claimed the title via first-minute knockout.
The bout with Alers was then rebooked to take place at BKFC 14 on November 13, 2020. Palomino successfully defended his championship via first-minute knockout.
In his second title defense attempt, Palomino faced Tyler Goodjohn at BKFC 18 on June 26, 2021. Palomino retained his title and won the bout via unanimous decision.
He next faced Dat Nguyen at BKFC 22 on November 12, 2021. He successfully defended the title via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.
He successfully defended his title by defeating Martin Brown at BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 on February 19, 2022 via unanimous decision.
Following his routing of Brown, Palomino set his sights on becoming the first two-division champion in the BKFC. He faced off against welterweight champion Elvin Brito at BKFC 26 on June 24, 2022. He won by the welterweight championship by unanimous decision. In a January 2024 interview, Palomino said he was stripped of the welterweight belt.
Palomino faced James Lilley and defended his lightweight title on June 23, 2023 at BKFC 45: Hollywood and won by unanimous decision.
In a January 2024 interview, Palomino said he was no longer fighting in the lightweight division and would vacate the belt because there was no money or big fights in the division.
On February 2, 2024 at BKFC 57 in Hollywood, Florida, Palomino fought Austin Trout for the vacant BKFC welterweight title and lost his first bare-knuckle boxing bout by unanimous decision.
Palomino is scheduled to face Howard Davis on March 21, 2025 in the main event at BKFC 70.

## Boxing

Palomino is scheduled to make his pro boxing debut against Gabriel Rosado on November 12, 2024 in Miami.

## Championships and accomplishments
### Mixed martial arts

* Xtreme Fighting Championships
** XFC Featherweight Championship (One time)
* Championship Fighting Alliance
** Championship Fighting Alliance Featherweight Championship (One time; First)
** 2012 Championship Fighting Alliance Most Valuable Fighter
** Knockout of the Night (Two times) vs. Gesias Cavalcante on June 30, 2012 and vs. Charles Bennett on December 17, 2011
* MMAJunkie.com
** 2015 March Fight of the Month vs. Justin Gaethje
** 2015 September Fight of the Month vs. Justin Gaethje
* Yahoo! Sports
** 2015 Best Fight of the Half-Year vs. Justin Gaethje

### Bare-knuckle boxing

* Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
** Police Gazette World Lightweight Championship
** BKFC Lightweight Championship (One time; First)
*** Six successful title defenses
** BKFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
*** Most consecutive title defenses in BKFC history (6)
*** Most total title defenses in BKFC history (6)
*** Most title fight wins in BKFC history (8)
*** First simultaneous multi-division champion in BKFC history (Lightweight, Welterweight)
*** Longest title reign in BKFC history (1288 days)
** BKFC Fighter of the Year 2022
** Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Elvin Brito 2 and Dat Nguyen
** Tied (Lorenzo Hunt) for the longest win streak in BKFC history (9)

## Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

* Promoted to black belt on April 25, 2012 by Daniel Valverde

## Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown :
| 43 matches | 26 wins | 17 losses |
| By knockout | 15 | 5 |
| By submission | 2 | 3 |
| By decision | 9 | 9 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 26–17 | Claudio Quintana | Decision (unanimous) | ONE Fight Night: Quintana vs. Palomino | May 4, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Santiago, Chile | |
| Loss | 26–16 | Apti Bimarzaev | Decision (unanimous) | ACA 93: Balaev vs Zhamaldaev | March 16, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | St. Petersburg, Russia | |
| Loss | 26–15 | Lom-Ali Eskijew | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 84: Agujev vs. Burrell | April 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Bratislava, Slovakia | |
| Loss | 26–14 | Yusuf Raisov | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 67: Cooper vs. Berkhamov | August 19, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Grozny, Chechnya, Russia | |
| Win | 26–13 | Marcos Vinicius Schmitz | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 61: Balaev vs. Bataev | May 20, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Leningrad, Russia | |
| Win | 25–13 | Musa Khamanaev | TKO (punches) | ACB 51: Silva vs. Torgeson | January 13, 2017 | 2 | 3:35 | Irvine, California, United States | |
| Loss | 24–13 | Sheymon Moraes | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 31: Ivanov vs. Copeland | June 17, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | Return to Featherweight |
| Loss | 24–12 | Brian Foster | TKO (punches) | WSOF 25: Lightweight Tournament | November 20, 2015 | 2 | 4:19 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | WSOF Lightweight Tournament Semifinal |
| Win | 24–11 | Rich Patishnock | KO (punch) | WSOF 25: Lightweight Tournament | November 20, 2015 | 1 | 4:55 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | WSOF Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal |
| Loss | 23–11 | Justin Gaethje | TKO (punches) | WSOF 23: Gaethje vs. Palomino 2 | September 18, 2015 | 2 | 4:30 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | For WSOF Lightweight Championship |
| Loss | 23–10 | Justin Gaethje | TKO (leg kicks and punches) | WSOF 19: Gaethje vs. Palomino | March 28, 2015 | 3 | 3:57 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | For WSOF Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 23–9 | Lewis Gonzalez | KO (head kick) | WSOF 12: Palomino vs Gonzalez | August 9, 2014 | 1 | 4:42 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 22–9 | Jorge Patino | KO (punches) | WSOF 8: Gaethje vs. Patishnock | January 18, 2014 | 2 | 4:20 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 21–9 | Efrain Escudero | Decision (unanimous) | CFA 12: Sampo vs. Thao | October 12, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 21–8 | Robert Washington | KO (punch) | CFA 11: Kyle vs. Wiuff 2 | May 24, 2013 | 1 | 3:23 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | CFA Lightweight Title Eliminator |
| Loss | 20–8 | Luiz Firmino | Decision (unanimous) | CFA 09: Night of Champions | January 19, 2013 | 5 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | For the CFA Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 20–7 | Gesias Cavalcante | KO (punches) | CFA 07: Never Give Up | June 30, 2012 | 3 | 1:41 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 19–7 | James Warfield | Decision (unanimous) | CFA 06: Palomino vs. Warfield | April 13, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | Catchweight at 158 lb, originally for the CFA Lightweight Championship; Warfield weighed in at 158 lb, 3 pounds over the 155 lb limit |
| Win | 18–7 | Charles Bennett | KO (punch) | CFA 04: Izquierdo vs. Cenoble | December 17, 2011 | 1 | 3:59 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 17–7 | James Edson Berto | Decision (unanimous) | W-1 MMA: Reloaded | October 15, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 16–7 | Pat Curran | Submission (Peruvian necktie) | Bellator 46 | June 25, 2011 | 1 | 3:49 | Miami, Florida, United States | Bellator Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinals |
| Win | 16–6 | Peter Grimes | Submission (armbar) | Championship Fighting Alliance: The Title | May 6, 2011 | 4 | 4:59 | Miami, Florida, United States | Won the inaugural CFA Featherweight Championship |
| Win | 15–6 | Daron Cruickshank | KO (head kick and punches) | G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 5 | February 26, 2011 | 1 | 3:52 | Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States | |
| Win | 14–6 | Jarrod Card | Decision (unanimous) | XFC 13: Unstoppable | December 3, 2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Tampa, Florida, United States | Won XFC Featherweight Title |
| Loss | 13–6 | Yves Edwards | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 24 | August 12, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 13–5 | Jose Figueroa | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 21 | June 10, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 12–5 | Jorge Masvidal | Decision (split) | G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 3 | February 4, 2010 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 11–5 | Rafael Dias | TKO (punches) | Unconquered 1: November Reign | November 20, 2009 | 3 | 4:47 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 10–5 | Jonathan Brookins | Submission (rear-naked choke) | G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 2 | September 26, 2009 | 2 | 1:44 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 10–4 | Troy Gerhart | Decision (unanimous) | Bellator 12 | June 19, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 9–4 | Nick Gonzalez | TKO (punches) | Bellator 6 | May 8, 2009 | 1 | 2:13 | Robstown, Texas, United States | |
| Loss | 8–4 | Estevan Payan | Decision (split) | Bellator 1 | April 3, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Bellator Featherweight Tournament Opening Round |
| Loss | 8–3 | John Mahlow | Submission (rear-naked choke) | XFC 6: Clash of the Continents | December 5, 2008 | 5 | 1:57 | Tampa, Florida, United States | For the XFC Lightweight Championship |
| Win | 8–2 | Marc Stevens | Decision (unanimous) | United States Fight League: War in the Woods 5 | November 29, 2008 | 3 | 5:00 | Ledyard, Connecticut, United States | |
| Win | 7–2 | Eric Reynolds | KO (punch) | G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 1 | November 6, 2008 | 1 | 0:38 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 6–2 | Andrew Carron | TKO (punches) | United States Fight League: War in the Woods 4 | September 13, 2008 | 1 | 0:57 | Ledyard, Connecticut, United States | Welterweight bout |
| Loss | 5–2 | Mike Bernhard | TKO (punches) | Premier X-treme Fighting | December 8, 2007 | 2 | 4:01 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 5–1 | Patrick Mikesz | KO (punches) | RIC: Cage Fighting Championships | October 6, 2007 | 1 | 1:10 | Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Steve Conley | TKO (punches) | PFL: Genesis | March 31, 2007 | 1 | 2:33 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 3–1 | Travis Cox | TKO (punches) | World Extreme Fighting | November 18, 2006 | 1 | 1:08 | Miami, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 3–0 | Jeremy May | Decision (unanimous) | Absolute Fighting Championships 19 | October 21, 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 2–0 | Mike Soltz | TKO (punches) | Absolute Fighting Championships 18 | August 26, 2006 | 1 | 0:25 | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Louis Pilato | Submission (punches) | Absolute Fighting Championships 17 | June 24, 2006 | 1 | 1:23 | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |

## Bare knuckle record

Professional record breakdown :
| 10 matches | 9 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 6 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
| Loss | 9–1 | Austin Trout | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 57 | February 2, 2024 | 5 | 2:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | For the vacant BKFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–0 | James Lilley | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 45: Hollywood | June 23, 2023 | 5 | 2:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Defended the BKFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Tom Shoaff | TKO (doctor stoppage) | BKFC 34: Hollywood | December 3, 2022 | 4 | 0:01 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Defended the BKFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Elvin Brito | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 26: Hollywood | June 24, 2022 | 5 | 2:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Won the BKFC Welterweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 6–0 | Martin Brown | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 | February 19, 2022 | 5 | 2:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | Defended the BKFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 5–0 | Dat Nguyen | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 22: Lombard vs. Hunt | November 12, 2021 | 5 | 2:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | Defended the BKFC Lightweight Championship. Fight of the Night. |
| Win | 4–0 | Tyler Goodjohn | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 18: Beltran vs. Shewmaker | June 26, 2021 | 5 | 2:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | Defended the BKFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 3–0 | Jim Alers | TKO (punches) | BKFC 14: Palomino vs. Alers | November 13, 2020 | 1 | 0:44 | Miami, Florida, United States | Defended the BKFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 2–0 | Isaac Vallie-Flagg | KO (punches) | BKFC 11: Palomino vs. Vallie-Flagg | July 24, 2020 | 1 | 0:45 | Oxford, Mississippi, United States | Super Welterweight Tournament Final. Won the BKFC Super Welterweight Championship. Later renamed Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 1–0 | Elvin Brito | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 10: Lombard vs. Mundell | February 15, 2020 | 5 | 2:00 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | Super Welterweight Tournament Semi-Finals. |