Luis Palomino wants Franco Tenaglis in Soth American BKC clash.
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Luis Palomino is looking to take a BKFC event to South America, and he wants to do so with a fan-favorite from the region.
Palomino, the former BKFC two-division champion and ex Bellator and WSOF fighter, revealed he’s in talks with BKFC president David Feldman to potentially take the promotion for the first time to South America and have an event in his home country of Peru. “Baboon” sees slugger Franco Tenaglia as the perfect dance partner for the event, Tenaglia being from Argentina.
“It all depends on how our fights go,” Palomino told Hablemos MMA in Spanish. “Tenaglia has to go through the U.K. guy and I have to get through Austin Trout. If that happens – he wins, and I win – there’s a high possibility we see each other in Peru.”
Both Palomino and Tenaglia are on opposing brackets of the BKFC four-man lightweight tournament, set to crown a champion for the division. Palomino takes former boxing champion Austin Trout in a rematch, and Tenaglia takes on Ben Bonner.
Tenaglia made waves in the combat sports world after winning all-out war against Joe Soto last October at a BKFC event in Marbella, Spain. The bloody fight caught the attention of many, including Palomino.
“I just came to know Tenaglia when he beat Joe Soto,” Palomino said. “It was an amazing fight. I gave Tenaglia his respect, and same to Soto – even though I didn’t like him all that much, to tell you the truth. I gave them both their respect because they had a great fight. Wow, it was amazing. Now, that was cool for the audience, because it was a war, but that fight was missing a bit of smarts. On that end, he can’t beat me. I have that savagery in me, but I use their head more than them.”
As far as Palomino’s first test in the tournament, he’s over the moon to have drawn Trout. Palomino, not long ago regarded as the best pound-for-pound bareknuckle boxer on the planet, lost to Trout in the February 2024, and had been asking for a rematch since.
“That was the best news I’ve heard,” Palomino explained. “I had the feeling it was coming, but I wasn’t sure. Thank God, it’s happening. I’ve been preparing myself for almost two years, so soon you guys will see how much I’ve improved.”
