Richard Palencia Breaks Leg on Low Leg Kick at Bellator 286
Opening up the night for Bellator 286, Richard Palencia suffered a leg break on a low kick that’s as gruesome as it gets. Check out the video below:
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.
🔗 https://t.co/zMdsHRAwvX pic.twitter.com/3YN6B6N5MP
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) October 1, 2022
Palencia was 10-0 before the leg break and one of the best prospects in the game. He won the LFA bantamweight belt in 2021 before signing with Bellator. He was making his promotional debut and was taking the battle tested Cee Jay Hamilton (15-9) on in a big step up in experience.
Palencia was taken out of the ring on a stretcher to a hospital to be treated for his injuries.
Richard Palencia and Leg Breaks in MMA
Richard Palencia is just the latest in leg breaks that have been plaguing mixed martial arts in recent years. Of course, Anderson Silva broke his leg against Chris Weidman in the two’s rematch years ago. But in a strange twist of fate, Chris Weidman would break his leg in the exact same manner in 2021 against Uriah Hall at UFC 261.
Then three months later, Conor McGregor had the exact same injury against Dustin Poirier in the two’s trilogy match. McGregor threw a leg kick in the second round and it snapped on the reset, having McGregor fall to the mat and Poirier getting the win.
There have been many more leg breaks with the popularization of the low calf kick. While a dangerous and effective weapon, the low calf kick has been breaking legs in kickboxing as well as MMA. The injury is gruesome as bone colliding on bone (if the kick isn’t thrown correctly) is likely the culprit behind the problems.
My MMA News sends prayers out to Richard Palencia and his family. It’s not an easy injury to overcome and he will need a support system around him to get through this tough time. Thanks for reading!
