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| Born | (1980-10-09)October 9, 1980 (age 45) Lima, Peru |
|---|---|
| Other names | Baboon |
| Residence | Miami, Florida,United States |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11.1 st) |
| Division | Lightweight Featherweight Welterweight |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
| Fighting out of | Miami, Florida,United States |
| Team | Young Tigers Foundation[1] MMA Masters American Top Team (2013)[2] 5th Street Gym (2019–present)[1] |
| Trainer | Dino Spencer[1] Eric Castaños[1] |
| Rank | Black belt inBrazilian Jiu-Jitsu Professor inCapoeira under Mestre Cesar |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Mixed martial arts record | |
| Total | 43 |
| Wins | 26 |
| By knockout | 15 |
| By submission | 2 |
| By decision | 9 |
| Losses | 17 |
| By knockout | 5 |
| By submission | 3 |
| By decision | 9 |
| Other information | |
| Boxing record fromBoxRec | |
| Mixed martial arts record fromSherdog | |
Luis Palomino (born October 9, 1980) is a Peruvian-Americanmixed martial artist andbare-knuckle fighter. He currently competes in theBare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), where he is the Lightweight Champion and inaugural King of Streets Champion. 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 theUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC),World Series of Fighting (WSOF),Bellator MMA andAbsolute Championship Berkut. As of April 4 2025, he is tied at #7 in the BKFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.[3]
Palomino began his career with a 3–0 record in the Absolute Fighting Championship promotion, including a victory over futureThe 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.[4] Palomino lost the fight via submission following a rear-naked choke in the fifth round.
Palomino then joined Bellator to take part in theirBellator Season One: Featherweight Tournament. His opening round fight was against Estevan Payan atBellator 1.[5] Palomino lost the bout via split decision.[6]
Despite his elimination from the featherweight tournament, Palomino stayed with the Bellator promotion and continued in the featherweight division.[7] His opponent atBellator 6 was Nick Gonzalez and Palomino defeated him via TKO (punches) in the second minute of the first round.[8]
Palomino next faced Troy Gerhart atBellator 12 in a 150lb bout[9] and defeated him via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 29–28).[10]
After the first season of Bellator ended, Palomino took a few fights outside of the promotion. Palomino lost his first fight to eventualThe Ultimate Fighter winnerJonathan 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 andJorge Masvidal via split decision.
In his next Bellator appearance atBellator 21, Palomino defeated Jose Figueroa via unanimous decision in a lightweight bout.[11]
Palomino then stayed with Bellator into the third season. His first fight of the season was againstYves Edwards atBellator 24,[12] which he lost via unanimous decision.[13]
Palomino signed with local promotionChampionship Fighting Alliance. Palomino made his CFA debut on May 6, 2012, inMiami, 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, inCoral Gables, Florida against journeymanCharles Bennett. Palomino 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 formerMaximum Fighting Championship Lightweight ChampionAntonio McKee at "CFA 06" on April 13, 2012, inCoral 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 make the required weight 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 "2xHero's" Grand Prix winner andStrikeforce veteran,Gesias Cavalcante at "CFA 07: Never Give Up" on June 30, 2012, inCoral Gables, Florida. Palomino became the first man to ever finish Cavalcante, and he did so via third-round knockout.
Palomino returned to action at CFA 09 on January 19, 2013, when he facedPRIDE veteranLuiz Firmino for the CFA Lightweight Championship, Palomino lost the fight with a unanimous decision.
Palomino came back from his previous defeat on May 24, 2013, at CFA 11 by knocking out Robert Washington in the first round.
Palomino facedThe Ultimate Fighter 8 winnerEfrain Escudero at CFA 12 on October 12, 2013.[14] He lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Palomino made his WSOF debut on January 18, 2014, inHollywood, Florida againstJorge Patino, Palomino won via second-round knockout.
Palomino faced championJustin Gaethje for theWSOF Lightweight Championship at WSOF 19 on March 28, 2015.[15] He lost the back-and-forth fight via TKO in the third round.
Palomino faced Gaethje in a rematch on September 18, 2015, atWSOF 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.[16] He faced Rich Patishnock in the quarter-finals and won via knockout in the first round. He then facedBrian Foster in the semifinals and lost via TKO in the second round.[17]
Palomino faced Chechen fighter Musa Khamanaev on January 13, 2017, atACB 51.[18] He won the fight via TKO in the second round.
In the second fight he faced Marcos Vinicius Schmitz on May 20, 2017, atACB 61. He won the fight via unanimous decision.
Palomino faced Yusuf Raisov on August 19, 2017, atACB 67. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.
After signing a three-fight contract with theBKFC, Palomino made his debut in bare-knuckle boxing against Elvin Brito atBKFC 10 on February 15, 2020. Palomino won the fight via unanimous decision and advanced to the four-man BKFC Super Welterweight Tournament finals.[19] This fight earned him theFight of the Night award.[20]
Palomino was initially scheduled to faceJim Alers atBKFC 11 on March 14, 2020, for theLightweight Championship, but the event was postponed to take place on June 20, 2020, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[21] 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 forCOVID-19 and was replaced byIsaac Vallie-Flagg.[22] Palomino claimed the title via first-minute knockout.[23]
The bout with Alers was then rebooked to take place atBKFC 14 on November 13, 2020. Palomino successfully defended his championship via first-minute knockout.[24]
In his second title defense attempt, Palomino faced Tyler Goodjohn atBKFC 18 on June 26, 2021. Palomino retained his title and won the bout via unanimous decision.[25]
He next facedDat Nguyen atBKFC 22 on November 12, 2021.[26] He successfully defended the title via unanimous decision.[27] This fight earned him theFight of the Night award.[28]
He successfully defended his title by defeating Martin Brown atBKFC: KnuckleMania 2 on February 19, 2022, via unanimous decision.
Following his defeat of Brown, Palomino set his sights on becoming the first two-division champion in the BKFC. He faced off against welterweight champion Elvin Brito atBKFC 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.[29]
Palomino faced James Lilley and defended his lightweight title on June 23, 2023, atBKFC 45: Hollywood and won by unanimous decision.[30]
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."[29]
On February 2, 2024, atBKFC 57 in Hollywood, Florida, Palomino foughtAustin Trout for the vacant BKFC welterweight title and lost his first bare-knuckle boxing bout by unanimous decision.[31]
Palomino defeated Howard Davis by unanimous decision atBKFC 70 on March 27, 2025, at Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, FL, to win the inauguralBKFC King of Streets Championship.[32]
In a lightweight bout, Palomino is scheduled to faceAustin Trout in a rematch on December 5, 2025 atBKFC 85.[33]
Palomino was scheduled to make his pro boxing debut againstGabriel Rosado on November 12, 2024, in Miami.[34]
| 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 Nadal | Decision (unanimous) | Productora LFN: Live Fight Night | May 4, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Santiago, Chile | Lightweight bout. |
| Loss | 26–16 | Apti Bimarzaev | Decision (unanimous) | ACA 93 | March 16, 2019 | 3 | 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| Loss | 26–15 | Lom-Ali Eskiev | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 84 | April 7, 2018 | 3 | 5:00 | Bratislava, Slovakia | |
| Loss | 26–14 | Yusuf Raisov | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 67 | August 19, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Grozny, Russia | |
| Win | 26–13 | Marcos Vinicius Schmitz | Decision (unanimous) | ACB 61 | May 20, 2017 | 3 | 5:00 | Saint Petersburg, Russia | |
| Win | 25–13 | Musa Khamanaev | TKO (punches) | ACB 51 | January 13, 2017 | 2 | 3:35 | Irvine, California, United States | Catchweight (150 lb) bout. |
| Loss | 24–13 | Sheymon Moraes | Decision (unanimous) | WSOF 31 | June 17, 2016 | 3 | 5:00 | Mashantucket, Connecticut, United States | Return to Featherweight. |
| Loss | 24–12 | Brian Foster | TKO (punches) | WSOF 25 | November 20, 2015 | 2 | 4:19 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | WSOF Lightweight Tournament Semifinal. |
| Win | 24–11 | Rich Patishnock | KO (punch) | 1 | 4:55 | WSOF Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinal. | |||
| Loss | 23–11 | Justin Gaethje | TKO (punches) | WSOF 23 | September 18, 2015 | 2 | 4:30 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | For theWSOF Lightweight Championship. |
| Loss | 23–10 | Justin Gaethje | TKO (leg kicks and punches) | WSOF 19 | March 28, 2015 | 3 | 3:57 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | For theWSOF Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 23–9 | Lewis Gonzalez | KO (knee and punch) | WSOF 12 | August 9, 2014 | 1 | 4:42 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |
| Win | 22–9 | Jorge Patino | KO (punches) | WSOF 8 | January 18, 2014 | 2 | 4:20 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 21–9 | Efrain Escudero | Decision (unanimous) | CFA 12 | October 12, 2013 | 3 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 21–8 | Robert Washington | KO (punch) | CFA 11 | May 24, 2013 | 1 | 3:23 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Loss | 20–8 | Luiz Firmino | Decision (unanimous) | CFA 9 | January 19, 2013 | 5 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | Lost the CFA Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 20–7 | Gesias Cavalcante | KO (punches) | CFA 7 | June 30, 2012 | 3 | 1:41 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 19–7 | James Warfield | Decision (unanimous) | CFA 6 | April 13, 2012 | 3 | 5:00 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | Won the inaugural CFA Lightweight Championship. Warfield missed weight (158.5 lb) and was ineligible for the title. |
| Win | 18–7 | Charles Bennett | KO (punch) | CFA 4 | December 17, 2011 | 1 | 3:59 | Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 17–7 | James Edson Berto | Decision (unanimous) | W-1 MMA 7 | October 15, 2011 | 3 | 5:00 | Miami, Florida, United States | Return to Lightweight. |
| Loss | 16–7 | Pat Curran | Submission (Peruvian necktie) | Bellator 46 | June 25, 2011 | 1 | 3:49 | Miami, Florida, United States | 2011 Bellator Summer Series Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Win | 16–6 | Peter Grimes | Submission (armbar) | CFA 1 | 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 | December 3, 2010 | 5 | 5:00 | Tampa, Florida, United States | Return to Featherweight. Won theXFC Featherweight Championship. |
| 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 | Return to Lightweight. |
| Win | 11–5 | Rafael Dias | TKO (punches) | Unconquered 1 | 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 | Catchweight (151.5 lb) bout; Gerhart missed weight. |
| Win | 9–4 | Nick Gonzalez | TKO (punches) | Bellator 6 | May 8, 2009 | 1 | 2:13 | Robstown, Texas, United States | Catchweight (146.5 lb) bout; Palomino missed weight. |
| Loss | 8–4 | Estevan Payan | Decision (split) | Bellator 1 | April 3, 2009 | 3 | 5:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Featherweight debut. Bellator Season 1 Featherweight Tournament Quarterfinal. |
| Loss | 8–3 | John Mahlow | Submission (rear-naked choke) | XFC 6 | 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 | Won the vacant USFL Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–2 | Eric Reynolds | KO (punch) | G-Force Fights: Bad Blood 1 | November 6, 2008 | 1 | 0:38 | Miami, Florida, United States | Return to Lightweight. |
| 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 | |
| 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) | Rage in Cage: Cage FC | October 6, 2007 | 1 | 1:10 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 4–1 | Steve Conley | TKO (punches) | Panther Fight League: 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 FC 19 | October 21, 2006 | 2 | 5:00 | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | Welterweight debut. |
| Win | 2–0 | Mike Soltz | TKO (punches) | Absolute FC 18 | August 26, 2006 | 1 | 0:25 | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | |
| Win | 1–0 | Louis Pilato | Submission (punches) | Absolute FC 17 | June 24, 2006 | 1 | 1:23 | Boca Raton, Florida, United States | Lightweight debut. |
| 11 matches | 10 wins | 1 loss |
| By knockout | 3 | 0 |
| By decision | 7 | 1 |
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 10–1 | Howard Davis | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 70 | March 27, 2025 | 5 | 2:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | For the inauguralBKFC King of Streets Championship. |
| Loss | 9–1 | Austin Trout | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 57 | February 2, 2024 | 5 | 2:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | For the vacantBKFC Welterweight Championship. |
| Win | 9–0 | James Lilley | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 45: Hollywood | June 23, 2023 | 5 | 2:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Defended theBKFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 8–0 | Tom Shoaff | TKO (doctor stoppage) | BKFC 34: Hollywood | December 3, 2022 | 4 | 0:01 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Defended theBKFC Lightweight Championship. |
| Win | 7–0 | Elvin Brito | Decision (unanimous) | BKFC 26: Hollywood | June 24, 2022 | 5 | 2:00 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | Won theBKFC 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 theBKFC 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 theBKFC 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 theBKFC 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 theBKFC 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 theBKFC 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. |
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