After going undefeated in ten fights to start his career, Richie Palencia has signed with Bellator. An official from the promotion told MMA Junkie that the reigning LFA bantamweight champion has agreed to an exclusive, multi-fight contract.
Palencia, 31, has an unblemished 10-0 professional MMA record. He fights out of The MMA Lab gym located in Phoenix, Arizona, where he trains with former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson amongst other notable fighters under the tutelage of coach John Crouch.
He made his professional debut in 2013 and has yet to lose. Palencia competed for promotions such as LFA, Combate Americas (now known as Combate Global), and Rage in the Cage. This past December at LFA 119, he captured promotion’s vacant 135-pound championship by a unanimous decision victory over Allan Begosso. Although he does have ten wins, Palencia is not necessarily a prolific finisher, having only finished three fights. All of those finishes have come by submission via some form of choke.
As of now, no date or opponent for Palencia’s promotional debut have been set, although the upcoming Bellator 273 event set to take place on January 29th in Phoenix would make sense. He joins a stacked Bellator bantamweight division, set to kick off a World Grand Prix tournament later this year that includes former LFA star Raufeon Stots and former LFA champion Leandro Higo.
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