Lance Palmer shocked at WSOF 26 result, hints at potential training move ahead of rematch

LAS VEGAS – Former WSOF featherweight champion Lance Palmer (10-2) isn’t willing to accept defeat, despite what judges may have said about his encounter with Alexandre Almeida (17-6). Palmer can’t wait for the rematch, though he may make a few changes ahead of the fight.

“It’s one of those things that you hear all the time: Don’t leave it in the hands of the judges, no matter how dominant you felt in the fight,” Palmer told MMAjunkie. “For me, I’m just happy to be able to get the immediate rematch because I feel like I dominated him on not even my best performance and beat him where he’s supposed to be good, which is on the ground.”

Palmer and Almeida met in the headlining bout of Friday’s WSOF 26 event at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Almeida found success early, and while Palmer mounted a late rally, it was too little, too late, according to the judges, and Almeida was awarded a unanimous decision victory.

The crowd booed the result, and WSOF President Ray Sefo even admitted he thought it was a bad call and will book a rematch.

Palmer said Almeida, himself, admitted he thought the judges got it wrong.

“He said, ‘Great job,'” Palmer said. “After he got the decision, he said, ‘You won that fight bro. I’m sorry.’

“At that point, I don’t really need the sympathy. You either win or you lose. That’s it.”

Almeida was transported to a local hospital as a precautionary measure and wasn’t immediately available for comment.

Palmer said he’d like to schedule the rematch as quickly as possible, though he knows there will be a slight wait before he can step into the cage again. In the meantime, the Team Alpha Male fighter said he will evaluate his training regimen. With former head coach Duane “Bang” Ludwig recently leaving the team to relocate to Colorado, Palmer said the lack of a full-time head coach for the squad is a bit concerning.

“We don’t have a head coach who knows the game and has been in the game,” Palmer said. “Duane Ludwig was the best person we had at that, and not having him there has definitely made a difference. That’s just the way it is. People may be mad for saying that, but whether Duane – things outside of MMA – he’s a great coach despite whatever didn’t got right with him and Urijah (Faber), and that’s something that we have to look at, also.

“There’s a lot of guys on our team that aren’t getting to that next level, to that peak performance, because we don’t have somebody like that.”

While Palmer’s statement is sure to make waves, “The Party” did make it clear he wasn’t making any immediate decisions and certainly wasn’t trying to make excuses or lay blame, especially considering he really still can’t believe he wasn’t granted a victory.

“There’s no reason to jump to conclusions because I feel that I won that fight, and there’s always room for improvement either way, but you can’t blame it on not having a coach,” Palmer said. “You can’t blame it on anybody else. It’s my fault that I lost that fight. I didn’t get the finish.

“Whether the judging is bad or good, that’s the way it is.”

To hear more from Palmer, check out the video above.

And for additional coverage of WSOF 26, check out the MMA Events section of the site.