Can Lance Palmer Begin Road Back To Top At PFL 2?

From 2017-19, Lance Palmer was a one-man wrecking machine.

Palmer ran through the PFL tournament twice, becoming featherweight champion in 2018 and again in 2019. 

During that stretch, Palmer went 11-0 including three finishes. 

Things, though, didn’t go the same in 2021 for Palmer. And now, he looks to get back on track.

Palmer meets Chris Wade in the co-main event of PFL 2 Thursday night live on ESPN2. The event takes place from the Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. 

In the 2021 PFL regular season, Palmer suffered a pair of decision losses. The first came to Bubba Jenkins last April, with the second behind at the hands of Movlid Khaybulaev. 

For Palmer, it marked his first defeat since 2017. And you can bet he has been chomping at the bit to get back inside the cage and prove himself. 

The 35-year-old from Ohio is a former NCAA silver medalist and a one-time Big Ten wrestling champion. He also earned bronze twice at the Big Tens. 

He turned to mixed martial arts in 2011 and reeled off seven consecutive wins before joining the WSOF – which would become the PFL. 

Palmer got his first taste of championship match experience in 2013 when he faced Georgi Karakhanyan for the inaugural belt. He lost, but quickly won three straight fights after, including the title a year later.

A third round submission win over Rick Glenn gave Palmer the featherweight belt. He would defend it once and win it back a second time in 2016 in a rematch with Alexander Almeida. 

Palmer would avenge his third pro loss to Andre Harrison by besting him in the PFL 2018 semifinal.