Luis Palomino

Luis Palomino (born October 9, 1980) is a Peruvian-American mixed martial artist and bare-knuckle fighter. He is the Lightweight Champion and has been the inaugural King of Streets Champion in the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC). Palomino is also a former BKFC Welterweight Champion, making him the first simultaneous two-division champion. He is a professional competitor since 2006, and has formerly competed for the World Series of Fighting (WSOF), Bellator MMA and Absolute Championship Berkut.

As of January 29, 2026, he is #5 in the BKFC men's lightweight rankings.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Palomino began his career with a 3–0 record in the Absolute Fighting Championship promotion, including a victory over his competitor Jeremy May via unanimous decision.

In his final fight prior to joining Bellator Fighting Championships, 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 submission following a rear-naked choke in the fifth round.

Bellator Fighting Championships

Palomino then joined Bellator Fighting Championships to take part in their . His opening round fight was against Estevan Payan at Bellator 1. Palomino lost the fight 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. Palomino defeated him via TKO 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.

After the first season of Bellator ended, Palomino took a few fights outside of the promotion. Palomino lost his first fight to the eventual Ultimate Fighter winner Jonathan Brookins via submission following a rear naked choke in the second round. Palomino later achieved 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 and made his CFA debut on May 6, 2011, 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 the 4:59 minute mark of the fourth round.

Palomino returned at "CFA 04: Izquierdo vs. Cenoble" on December 17, 2011, in Coral Gables, Florida against journeyman Charles Bennett. Palomino ultimately knocked Bennett out at 3:59 of the first round. Palomino became only the second man to knock Bennett out.

Palomino was scheduled to fight former Maximum Fighting Championship Lightweight Champion Antonio McKee at "CFA 06" on April 13, 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. However, Warfield did not meet the required weight limit of 155 pounds. This caused the fight to be downgraded to a non-title fight. Warfield knocked Palomino down in the first round, but Palomino was able to recover and won by a unanimous decision.

Palomino next faced "2x Hero's" Grand Prix winner and Strikeforce veteran, Gesias Cavalcante at "CFA 07: Never Give Up" on June 30, 2012, in Coral Gables, Florida. Palomino became the first man to ever knock out Cavalcante, doing so in the third round.

At the CFA 09 on January 19, 2013, Palomino faced PRIDE veteran Luiz Firmino for the CFA Lightweight Championship. Palomino lost the fight with a unanimous decision.

At the CFA 11 on May 24, 2013, Palamino fought against Robert Washington and knocked him out in the first round.

Palomino faced The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Efrain Escudero at CFA 12 on October 12, 2013. He lost the fight 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 . 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 . 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 on February 15, 2020. He 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 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 on November 13, 2020. Palomino successfully defended his title with a first-minute knockout.

In his second title defense attempt, Palomino faced Tyler Goodjohn at on June 26, 2021. Palomino won the bout via unanimous decision and retained his title.

He next faced Dat Nguyen at on November 12, 2021. He successfully defended the title via unanimous decision. This fight earned him another 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 defeat of Brown, Palomino trie becoming the first two-division champion in the BKFC. He faced off against welterweight champion Elvin Brito at on June 24, 2022. He won 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 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 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 defeated Howard Davis by unanimous decision at on March 27, 2025, at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL, to win the inaugural BKFC King of Streets Championship.

Palomino faced Austin Trout in a rematch on December 5, 2025 at BKFC 85 and lost via technical knockout at the end of the third round.

Boxing

Palomino was 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) <small>vs. Gesias Cavalcante on June 30, 2012, and vs. Charles Bennett on December 17, 2011</small>
• MMA Junkie
• 2015 #2 Ranked Fight of the Year
• 2015 March Fight of the Month <small>vs. Justin Gaethje</small>
• 2015 September Fight of the Month <small>vs. Justin Gaethje</small>
• Yahoo! Sports
• 2015 Best Fight of the Half-Year <small>vs. Justin Gaethje</small>

Bare-knuckle boxing

• Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship
• Police Gazette World Lightweight Championship
• BKFC Lightweight Championship (One time; First)
• Six successful title defenses
• Most consecutive title defenses in BKFC history (6)
• Most total title defenses in BKFC history (6)
• BKFC Welterweight Championship (One time)
• BKFC King of Streets Championship (One time; Current)
• Most title fight wins in BKFC history (9)
• 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 (Three times) <small> vs. Elvin Brito 2, Dat Nguyen and Howard Davis</small>
• 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

|- | Loss | align=center| 26–17 | Claudio Quintana Nadal | Decision (unanimous) | Productora LFN: Live Fight Night | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Santiago, Chile | |- | Loss | align=center| 26–16 | Apti Bimarzaev | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- | Loss |align=center|26–15 | Lom-Ali Eskiev |Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Bratislava, Slovakia | |- | Loss |align=center|26–14 | Yusuf Raisov |Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Grozny, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|26–13 | Marcos Vinicius Schmitz | Decision (unanimous) | | | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |- |Win |align=center|25–13 | Musa Khamanaev | TKO (punches) | | | align=center| 2 | align=center| 3:35 | Irvine, California, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|24–13 |Sheymon Moraes |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|24–12 |Brian Foster |TKO (punches) | rowspan=2| | rowspan=2| |align=center|2 |align=center|4:19 | rowspan=2|Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |- |Win |align=center|24–11 |Rich Patishnock |KO (punch) |align=center|1 |align=center|4:55 | |- |Loss |align=center|23–11 |Justin Gaethje |TKO (punches) | | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:30 |Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|23–10 |Justin Gaethje |TKO (leg kicks and punches) |WSOF 19 | |align=center|3 |align=center|3:57 |Phoenix, Arizona, United States | |- |- |Win |align=center|23–9 |Lewis Gonzalez |KO (knee and punch) | | |align=center|1 |align=center|4:42 |Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- |Win |align=center|22–9 |Jorge Patino |KO (punches) | | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:20 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|21–9 |Efrain Escudero |Decision (unanimous) |CFA 12 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|21–8 |Robert Washington |KO (punch) |CFA 11 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:23 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|20–8 |Luiz Firmino |Decision (unanimous) |CFA 9 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|20–7 |Gesias Cavalcante |KO (punches) |CFA 7 | |align=center|3 |align=center|1:41 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|19–7 |James Warfield |Decision (unanimous) |CFA 6 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|18–7 |Charles Bennett |KO (punch) |CFA 4 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:59 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|17–7 |James Edson Berto |Decision (unanimous) |W-1 MMA 7 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|16–7 |Pat Curran |Submission (Peruvian necktie) |Bellator 46 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:49 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|16–6 |Peter Grimes |Submission (armbar) |CFA 1 | |align=center|4 |align=center|4:59 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|15–6 |Daron Cruickshank |KO (head kick and punches) |G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 5 | |align=center|1 |align=center|3:52 |Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States | |- |Win |align=center|14–6 |Jarrod Card |Decision (unanimous) |XFC 13 | |align=center|5 |align=center|5:00 |Tampa, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|13–6 |Yves Edwards |Decision (unanimous) |Bellator 24 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|13–5 |Jose Figueroa |Decision (unanimous) |Bellator 21 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|12–5 |Jorge Masvidal |Decision (split) |G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 3 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|11–5 |Rafael Dias |TKO (punches) |Unconquered 1 | |align=center|3 |align=center|4:47 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|10–5 |Jonathan Brookins |Submission (rear-naked choke) |G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 2 | |align=center|2 |align=center|1:44 |Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|10–4 |Troy Gerhart |Decision (unanimous) |Bellator 12 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|9–4 |Nick Gonzalez |TKO (punches) |Bellator 6 | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:13 |Robstown, Texas, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|8–4 |Estevan Payan |Decision (split) |Bellator 1 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|8–3 |John Mahlow |Submission (rear-naked choke) |XFC 6 | |align=center|5 |align=center|1:57 |Tampa, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|8–2 |Marc Stevens |Decision (unanimous) |United States Fight League: War in the Woods 5 | |align=center|3 |align=center|5:00 |Ledyard, Connecticut, United States | |- |Win |align=center|7–2 |Eric Reynolds |KO (punch) |G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 1 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:38 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|6–2 |Andrew Carron |TKO (punches) |United States Fight League: War in the Woods 4 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:57 |Ledyard, Connecticut, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|5–2 |Mike Bernhard |TKO (punches) |Premier X-treme Fighting | |align=center|2 |align=center|4:01 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|5–1 |Patrick Mikesz |KO (punches) |Rage in Cage: Cage FC | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:10 |Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|4–1 |Steve Conley |TKO (punches) |Panther Fight League: Genesis | |align=center|1 |align=center|2:33 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|3–1 |Travis Cox |TKO (punches) |World Extreme Fighting | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:08 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|3–0 |Jeremy May |Decision (unanimous) |Absolute FC 19 | |align=center|2 |align=center|5:00 |Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|2–0 |Mike Soltz |TKO (punches) |Absolute FC 18 | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:25 |Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|1–0 |Louis Pilato |Submission (punches) |Absolute FC 17 | |align=center|1 |align=center|1:23 |Boca Raton, Florida, United States |

Bare knuckle record

|- |Loss |align=center|10–2 |Austin Trout |TKO (doctor stoppage) |BKFC 85 | |align=center|3 |align=center|2:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|10–1 |Howard Davis |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Loss |align=center|9–1 |Austin Trout |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|9–0 |James Lilley |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|8–0 |Tom Shoaff |TKO (doctor stoppage) | | |align=center|4 |align=center|0:01 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|7–0 |Elvin Brito |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Hollywood, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|6–0 |Martin Brown |Decision (unanimous) |BKFC KnuckleMania 2 | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|5–0 |Dat Nguyen |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|4–0 |Tyler Goodjohn |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|3–0 |Jim Alers |TKO (punches) | | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:44 |Miami, Florida, United States | |- |Win |align=center|2–0 |Isaac Vallie-Flagg |KO (punches) | | |align=center|1 |align=center|0:45 |Oxford, Mississippi, United States | |- |Win |align=center|1–0 |Elvin Brito |Decision (unanimous) | | |align=center|5 |align=center|2:00 |Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |-

See also

• List of male mixed martial artists

References

External links