Until now, Palacios had developed quietly. The 24 year old from Mexico was largely unknown outside small circles, with limited footage available and a record built against modest opposition. His recent wins came against fighters with mixed records, offering little indication of how he would respond once the level rose.
Against Segawa, Palacios showed he belonged. From the opening rounds, he carried himself with calm and control, choosing his moments rather than rushing exchanges. He held his ground at close range and picked his moments without rushing.
Palacios often kept his gloves low, trusting his reflexes, and used his shoulder and forearms to nudge Segawa off balance and disrupt his rhythm.
Segawa entered the bout as a proven test. The Maryland based fighter had come in at 18-5-1 and was widely viewed as better than his record suggested. He had pushed Bruce ‘Shu Shu’ Carrington to a close decision in 2024 and rebounded with a stoppage win over Bryan Acosta, whose only other loss was to Ramon Cardenas.
Segawa stayed busy throughout, probing for openings and gradually finding some success, including swelling Palacios beneath the left eye. Still, breaking through consistently proved difficult. Palacios was not elusive in a flashy sense, but he was compact and disciplined, making Segawa work for every clean connection.
The final rounds saw both men trade more freely at short range. Palacios showed he could engage when needed while maintaining his defensive shape. When the scores were read, he improved to 19-0-1 with 10 knockouts and moved himself into the broader picture at 126 pounds.
For Sulaiman Segawa, now the loss is a clear setback. He has rebuilt before, but this defeat places him further from contention and leaves his standing more uncertain than it was entering the night.
