Who is Luis 'Baboon' Palomino, the BKFC champion who recently called out Jorge Masvidal?
Luis 'Baboon' Palomino is a 40-year-old former MMA fighter. Palomino has fought in multiple major league promotions, including the likes of Bellator MMA, Championship Fighting Alliance and the World Series of Fighting. During his 53 fight MMA career, the veteran fighter faced many prominent MMA stars, most notably UFC fighters Jorge Masvidal and Justin Gaethje.
'Baboon' has now forayed into bare-knuckle boxing and fights under the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) banner. On Saturday night, he defeated Tyler Goodjohn via unanimous decision and extended his unblemished BKFC streak to four. Palimino currently sits on the BKFC lightweight throne and is open to moving up weight classes in the future.
Following the lopsided victory, Palomino called out former rival Jorge Masvidal, who he defeated in 2010 at G-Force Fights in Florida. Since 'Gamebred' is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Palomino has offered a cross-promotional event between BKFC and UFC:
“So check this out. If you want your rematch, remember I beat you in (2010) eight pounds heavy. If you want your rematch — I know you’re on the contract with the UFC, I know — but, I’ve seen Dave Feldman corner some people in a boxing match. So I’ll represent BKFC and you can represent the UFC and I’ll give you the rematch in the boxing ring with the respect and with Dave Feldman’s permission,” said Palomino in his post-fight callout.
Check out the post-fight interview below:
Is a rematch between Jorge Masvidal and Luis Palomino possible down the line?
The UFC is undoubtedly the biggest MMA promotion in the world. The company has risen to the helm owing to Dana White's leadership. White often boasts that the UFC roster consists of the best fighters in the world. So when any other organization proposes a cross-promotional event, the UFC supremo outright refuses to partake in it.
In 2019, when Bellator MMA president Scott Coker claimed that his organization bore the best light heavyweight roster, White said this in response:
"I get it. [Scott Coker] has to try to do his thing. He has got to try to sell fights. Everybody that was there was let go from here. It is a pretty silly statement."
White's backhanded digs made his intentions pretty clear. So a rematch between Luis Palomino and Jorge Masvidal is most certainly off the cards for now. Moreover, with Masvidal being one of the biggest draws in combat sports, it is highly unlikely that the Miami native will accept the rematch proposition with Palomino.