On Saturday at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Luis Palomino became the first fighter to successfully defend a BKFC championship five times. He accomplished the feat with a fourth-round technical knockout victory over Tom Shoaff, show live on the BKFC app. In addition to the BKFC lightweight championship that he defended Saturday against Shoaff, Palomino is also the BKFC welterweight champion and is undefeated in his eight trips to the BKFC squared circle,. He also sits sits atop BKFC's pound-for-pound rankings.“Every fight, we’re setting records and making history,” the two-division BKFC champ says. “These records are going to be harder and harder to break, and we’re only going higher and higher.”
Palomino is always happy to add to his unparalleled resume, but he had a different definition of success for Saturday’s title defense. “For what I was aiming at, I give myself an A-plus. What I was wanting to do was put on a show for the fans,” the Peruvian-American champ says. “I can get in there and outbox most of the division. I can go in there and pick my shots and take minimal damage. But I had to remind the fans. I can be technical, but I can be a savage too.”
In the co-feature, David Mundell dethroned the previously unbeaten champ Francesco Ricchi for the BKFC middleweight title. “It’s amazing to be able to hold the title,” the hard-hitting Florida product says. “I feel like I deserve it. I’ve been ranked #1 for a long time, so it feels good to get my shot and make the most of it.”
Earning a BKFC championship was a long-time goal for Mundell, and he says it feels good to officially set the pace for his division. But now that the dust has settled from Saturday’s action, he feels not much has changed. “There might be a target on my back for other fighters in my weight class, but I don’t think there’s anybody in the division that can stop me,” Mundell says.
Mundell’s confident mindset hasn't changed, and he believes his status as a champion won’t change in 2023. “A year from now, I want to be exactly where I am today,” he says with a chuckle. “Maybe I’ll have another belt around my waist by then.”
ADDITIONAL RESULTS
Louie Lopez defeated Howard Davis by TKO in round 1 (2:00);
Christine Vicens defeated Jocelyn Lybarger by unanimous decision;
Blake Davis defeated William Dunkle by KO in round 1 (1:43);
Bryan Duran defeated Kobe Bowen by KO in round 1 (:15);
Rene Rodriguez defeated Jake Young by TKO in round 1 (1:54);
Guillermo Perez defeated Rob Fuller by KO in round 1 (1:54);
Joshua Famez defeated Glendel Futrell by unanimous decision;
Alberto Blas defeated Jeremiah Potts by TKO in round 1 (:54);
Jeremy Smith defeated Leo Valdivia by KO in round 3 (1:52);
Rambo Russo defeated Jakobi Lowry by TKO in round 1 (2:00); and
Freddy Masabo defeated Shawn Moffett by TKO in round 1 (:27).
