Prizefighting as an undocumented immigrant: Why BKFC champ Luis Palomino never got UFC chance
Being a professional fighter is hard, but it was especially difficult for Luis Palomino.
Getting beat up, injuries, hard training, low pay, the politics of the fight game, criticism from fans and media, grueling weight cuts, hunger, pain – these are just some of the things fighters have to endure. And yet, paying these dues doesn’t guarantee glory, much less money. It just gets you an entry ticket into the pool where only a selected few will get the chance to call themselves champions before it’s all said and done.
For 42-year-old Palomino, now standing as a two-division champion in the top bareknuckle fighting promotion today, BKFC, success came late. But it did come. And looking back, it’s incredible it even came at all.
The gritty veteran fought his entire 43-fight MMA career as an undocumented immigrant in the U.S..
Yes, Palomino headlined three events on NBCSN and also fought on ESPN Deportes and MTV2. He competed for Bellator six times, defeated Jorge Masvidal, gave Justin Gaethje two of his toughest fights, and became, for many years, one of the best fighters outside of the UFC, all while living illegally in the U.S. Hell, if it wasn’t for his undocumented status, Palomino would’ve fought for the UFC and likely would’ve kicked ass.
His story is a testament to a true passion for fighting. It’s also one full or short comings and disappointments.
MMA Junkie caught up with Palomino to discuss his wild journey in combat sports ahead of his BKFC lightweight title defense vs. James Lilley in the BKFC 45 main event Friday night at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
The begining
Palomino was born in 1980 in Lima, the capital of Peru. At the age of 11, his family moved to the U.S. in hopes of a better future, an unfortunate but typical story for many Latin Americans. Like many, the Palomino family entered the U.S. illegally. But unlike many, they didn’t cross the border on a train or by foot. They flew in with fake passports.
“My name was Miguel something,” Palomino said laughing. “I was Mexican-American. That was crazy. I entered with a photo-switched passport. It was a passport with a different photo. Regardless, it’s an illegal way to enter, but who knew that illegal passport was going to be my salvation here in the U.S?”
Palomino and his family settled in California where he began to box, but about three years later they would relocate to Miami. Training in combat sports and getting into street fights naturally pushed him into professional fighting many years later in his adult life.
At 25, he made his pro debut, punching Louis Pilato into submission in the first round. From then, Palomino’s fighting career took off.
Fighting as an undocumented immigrant
Fighting was tricky. No, it’s not your regular 9-5 job, and you don’t have to clock in hours. But as unstructured as it might feel, especially in the early 2000s and 2010s, MMA is not immune to U.S. law. Fighters still need to pay taxes and show proof of citizenship or work permit in order to compete and get paid.
“What helped me in the other promotions were the work permits that, at times, I would be able to get – that’s why I was able to sign with Bellator, World Series of Fighting, CFA, and all the other smaller promotions,” Palomino explained. “The work permit allowed me. It was limited. It would be for a year or two. It would expire, but then I would already be on the inside.”
Palomino married a U.S. citizen, which put him in a pending status for residency. This allowed him to apply for work permits while in the process of legalizing his stay in the U.S.. He eventually got divorced and was unfortunately not able to solve his immigration status – either way, through those years, he was able to persue his dream of being a fighter.
“People have no idea,” Palomino said of the struggles he went through in his career while being an undocumented immigrant. “There are people that have been following me for a long time, especially my Peruvians and my people from South America, and they always asked, ‘When are you fighting in the UFC? When? When? When?’ This would happen all the time after I would beat people and they would get signed to the UFC.
“Well, the reason was because I was illegal for 31 years. It was 31 years where at times I would get a work permit for a year or two and then not have one again for four or five years. Sometimes I would get lucky, sometimes I wouldn’t. I was in a very difficult position. I had to fight locally. I had my ups and downs.”
Close, but yet so far from the UFC dream
Despite his immigration status, Palomino had plenty of success in MMA, and likely came as close as you can possibly get to sign with the UFC.
He made plenty of noise outside the octagon and positioned himself as one of the better fighters in the world. Yet, he was always hesitant to explicitly call for a UFC opportunity.
Most undocumented immigrants live in fear of overexposing themselves or putting themselves in positions where documentation is required out of fear of getting deported.
“That’s an incredible level of pressure,” Palomino said regarding fighting professionally while being an undocumented immigrant. “It’s so tough, so tough. The good thing about Latin Americans is that we want to work and move forward in life. I know many people with papers legally, and they don’t want to work and then they complain about how they live. The Latin American blood makes you put in the effort. But, yes, it was very difficult.”
Throughout his career, Palomino always had a winning record and would go on streaks that had his fans clamoring for a UFC shot. However, there were two particular moments during his better days that proved to him he was UFC ready.
In 2010, Palomino pulled off a big upset and defeated now retired UFC star Jorge Masvidal, putting him at a 19-5 record. Less than a year later, Masvidal re-signed with Strikeforce and then merged into the UFC roster after the UFC’s aquisition of the company. It was tough for Palomino to stand by and watch.
But perhaps his most frustrating moment came the following year in 2011. Once again, the difficulty of being undocumented presented itself, not only by discouraging him for making a push for the UFC but also because the circumstances alone reminded him of what he was battling outside of the cage.
“There were many fights that I couldn’t travel to,” Palomino said. “When I won my second championship belt in MMA, I had to fight in Michigan, and I couldn’t make the trip because I had no license. It was expired, and I didn’t have the work permit (so couldn’t renew it). So what did I have to do? I had to pay a friend to rent a car on his name and drive me to Michigan. And that entire trip was a risk. If you get stopped by the cops and you get a racist one, oh man.”
On that trip, Palomino knocked out Daron Cruickshank with a head kick in the first round. It was in Cruickshank’s hometown, too. The following year in 2012, Cruickshank joined “The Ultimate Fighter” and earned himself a spot on the UFC roster where he stayed for six years before leaving to Rizin FF in Japan.
Better days would eventually come for Palomino, at least days where he received more recognition in the industry for his skills.
In 2014 and with a respectable record of 21-9, Palomino signed with World Series of Fighting, now known as PFL. It wasn’t the UFC stage, but it was broadcast on NBC Sports Network and without a doubt was above the obscurity of the regional MMA scene.
Palomino would go on to have two ridiculous wars against Gaethje for the World Series of Fighting lightweight title in 2015. They made all kinds of headlines and had a Fight of the Year candidate.
“Throughout the years, I had opportunities to fight in the UFC,” Palomino said. “But during the times that I had a work permit I was with Bellator or WSOF, promotions who wouldn’t let you go to the big league. Or the fear of if the UFC were to call and I couldn’t go there.”
Palomino says there were plenty of times he could’ve stepped up on short notice or at least it was on his radar. However, one time he actually got the call to fight on one of the early UFC cards in Mexico, but he turned it down since he couldn’t leave the country.
“They called me to go to the UFC,” Palomino said. “They wanted me to drop to 145 and I was fighting at 155, and I didn’t even know how to cut weight. I thought to myself, ‘How am I going to go if they want me to fight in Mexico? I don’t have papers.’ So it was impossible for me to go to the UFC, and I put those mental blocks, too.”
WSOF was maybe not Palomino’s career apex, but it was likely his most celebrated given the size of the platform at the time. Eventually, Father Time caught up and after his exciting run in PFL, more defeats than wins came his way.
As his career in MMA dwindled, Palomino had a tough time coming to terms with the fact that the UFC dream was over, especially because he felt that, at his best, he belonged.
“I’ve cried, I’ve been through depression,” Palomino said. “Man, I’ve had some terrible moments because of all of this. Imagine dedicating your entire life to fighting, beating someone and watching them get to the UFC.”
Redemption through bare-knuckle boxing
“The love for fighting never left, but the hopes of getting to the UFC and fighting in the octagon did. That withered,” Palomino added. “So when that died, I entered a period of deep depression. And during that moment, I saw Jim Alers, a colleague, do well in bare-knuckle.”
Bing.
Palomino began to watch the rise of BKFC and liked what he saw. Given his style, the Peruvian saw an opportunity that no longer was present in MMA given his age and knee injuries.
“OK, so it’s only boxing. No takedowns or grappling, two-minute rounds. “OK, I think I can do this,” Palomino said. “… So when BKFC came to prominence, it gave me that hunger again to fight and also it inspired me to want to be a champion. And, well, now I’m champion.”
Palomino is aware of what he was up against when fighting in MMA, but he firmly believes his mentality toward his undocumented status limited his mind.
“So people know why I never made it to the UFC and why I would beat many who would then join the UFC, it’s because I was illegal,” Palomino said. “I didn’t have the papers. Now that I’m fighting in bareknuckle, the first thing I did, knowing what I know now, was tell myself, ‘I’m going to be an undefeated world champion. I’m going to be the champion of this organization, and I’m going to retire undefeated.’ I still say that to this day. What you say is what you become.”
Palomino is now married again and has been a U.S. citizen for over a year. He’s 42 but hungry to create the type of legacy he hasn’t been able to build in MMA. The focus is Friday’s title defense against Lilley at BKFC 45, but he wants the biggest names available after that.
And by anyone, he means anyone.
“In BKFC, Austin Trout, Eddie Alvarez, superfight against Mike Perry. Outside of BKFC and in boxing, ‘Showtime’ Pettis, Jose Aldo, Jeremy Stephens,” Palomino said. “I want a name that, when I mention them, you know exactly who I’m talking about. That’s what interests me.
“Whatever I didn’t get to do in the octagon, in the UFC, I’m going to do it here. I came with that mentality. I came ready for this. And here I am.”
