Richard Palencia was making his promotional debut at Bellator 286 in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, and it was a memorable one in the end — for all the wrong reasons.
Paired up with Cee Jay Hamilton, the undefeated LFA veteran entered the night 10-0 in a competitive bantamweight match-up. Unfortunately, things all came to a sudden halt in the second round, when Palencia connected with a leg kick shin-on-shin.
As Palencia stepped back, his leg instantly buckled, folding over on itself and clearly broken. The injury immediately brought to mind fighters like Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman, and Conor McGregor, all of whom have suffered similar injuries.
An unfortunate ending to the opening fight of the night 👇
Tune in to the #Bellator286 prelims, brought to you by @MonsterEnergy and fueled by @Mirabito.
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— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 1, 2022
As a result of the mishap, Hamilton came away with the TKO (injury) win — no doubt not the way he wanted to see his hand raised. Palencia was attended to by medical staff, and taken from the cage on a stretcher to receive further treatment.
Palencia had entered the fight on a tear, winning a number of key bouts for Combate and Legacy Fighting Alliance. The 32-year old began his professional fighting career in 2013.
Bellator 286 carries on at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California, with a main event featherweight title fight featuring Patricio Pitbull putting his belt on the line against Adam Borics. A.J. McKee makes the move to lightweight in the co-main event, taking on UFC alum Spike Carlyle.
