It has been a banner year for Ohio State and winning championships, from the football team to the wrestling team, and a former wrestler even won a world championship of his own late in 2014.
Former four-time All-American wrestler Lance Palmer (9-1) will look to defend his World Series of Fighting featherweight title for the first time when he faces veteran fighter Chris Horodecki (21-5-1) in the main event at WSOF 21.
WSOF 21 takes place at Edmonton Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and the night’s main card – including Palmer’s main event bout – airs on NBC Sports Network.
Palmer was immediately one of the hottest prospects upon entering mixed martial arts after his storied wrestling career at Ohio State, the Lakewood, Ohio native moved to California where he joined Team Alpha Male in Sacramento.
Palmer is one of TAM’s two current UFC champions, as T.J. Dillashaw is the UFC’s current bantamweight champion. The team also includes its leader, former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber, former UFC title challengers Chad Mendes and Joseph Benavidez, as well as notable up-and-comers like fellow Ohio native Cody Garbrandt and Paige VanZant.
Palmer joned WSOF in 2013 after starting his career with a 7-0 mark, and he got an immediate title shot against Georgi Karakhanyan at WSOF 7. Despite being submitted by Karakhanyan in that bout, Palmer rebounded with a pair of submission wins of his own, including a third round rear naked choke over Rick Glenn at WSOF 16 in December that earned him the 145-pound title.
The co-main event at WSOF 21 features heavyweight champion Smealinho Rama (9-1) defending his title against Blagoi Ivanov (11-1).
Photo courtesy Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com