Bellator signs LFA bantamweight champ Richard Palencia to multifight deal

Richard Palencia has 10 wins in 10 fights, an LFA bantamweight championship, and now a Bellator contract to go with it.

A Bellator official informed MMA Junkie that the promotion has signed Palencia (10-0 MMA, 10-0 BMMA) to an exclusive multifight contract. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Palencia, 31, fights out of The MMA Lab in Phoenix and trains alongside the likes of former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson and a host of other Bellator and UFC notables under coach John Crouch.

Since his professional debut in 2013, Palencia has yet to lose. Over the years, he competed for promotions such LFA, Combate Americas, and Iron Boy Promotions. At LFA 119 in December, Palencia captured the promotion’s 135-pound title when he won a unanimous decision over previously undefeated Allan Begosso.

No timeline or opponent for Palencia’s promotional debut. However, the promotion returns to Phoenix on Jan. 29 with Bellator 273.

“I’m just a dog,” Palencia told MMA Junkie in January 2021. “I’ve got that fight in me. I think, to me, I bring out those bonus fights. I bring out those Fight of the Night fights. I’m that type of fighter. I go out there and give it my all no matter what. … I see myself fighting just like (Justin Gaethje), just giving it my all and having these Fight of the Night fights all the time. … I’m ready for sure now.”