HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Luis Palomino looked sharp as ever in his title defense on Saturday evening.
At BKFC: KnuckleMania 2, Palomino sought to defend his title against Martin Brown, and behind his speedy striking and slick defense, emerged victorious in the main event to keep his lightweight championship.
The first round saw a calculated approach from both fighters. There were a few intense exchanges that saw Brown touch the canvas twice, but not as a result of punches from Palomino. After slipping and falling to the ground after both men swung and missed, Martin also touched the canvas after a clinch got rough, and Palomino dumped him to the mat.
The intensity ramped up in the second round, but the defense of both fighters shined early as they caused each other to miss. However, towards the end of the frame, Palomino put together a crisp combination for the best moment of the round.
Brown looked to control the pace of the third round, but Palomino continued to be more effective. Towards the end of the round, a short right counter from Brown caused Palomino’s knee to hit the canvas as he charged in, but the moment was not ruled a knockdown by the referee.
Palomino worked behind a left jab in the fourth round as Brown stalked him around the circular BKFC ring. The speed of Palomino continued to cause issues for Brown, who just missed on a couple of big punches, although he found a home for a crisp left hand towards the end of the round.
The final round of the championship bout started off with a quick combination from Palomino, who was light on his feet as he moved around the ring. Brown looked to slow his opponent down by powering forward to initiate a clinch and look for punches on the inside. Palomino got back to sticking with the left hand and moving out of danger before Brown could answer with anything significant.
The judges were unanimous in their decision, seeing the fight for Palomino. One judge scored every round for the champ, while the other two only found one round to give to Brown.
Palomino’s victory marked his sixth-straight win in bareknuckle competition as the lightweight champion continues to shine under the BKFC banner.
Full results of BKFC: KnuckleMania 2 include:
- Luis Palomino def. Martin Brown via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 50-45) – for lightweight title
- Mike Perry def. Julian Lane via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 48-46)
- Chad Mendes def. Joshuah Alvarez via TKO (punches) – Round 4, 1:34
- Christine Ferea def. Britain Beltran via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) – for vacant flyweight title
- Gustavo Trujillo def. Stephen Townsel via knockout – Round 1, 1:41
- Christine Vicens def. Jade Masson-Wong via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 3, 0:49
- Francesco Ricchi def. Jake Bostwich via unanimous decision (48-44, 48-44, 48-44)
- Ulysses Diaz def. Sawyer Depee via knockout – Round 2, 1:00
- Edgard Plazaola def. Chevvy Bridges via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:09
- Yosdenis Cedeno def. Mario Vargas via unanimous decision (48-45, 49-44, 47-46)
- Jomi Escoboza def. Zion Tomlinson via knockout – Round 4, 1:16
