Taking out another unbeaten opponent another day in office for WSOF champ Lance Palmer

When Lance Palmer steps into the cage on Saturday night to defend his featherweight title at WSOF 35, he’ll have an unbeaten opponent standing across from him.

But don’t expect Palmer (11-2) to be intimidated by Andre Harrison (15-0), a former Titan FC featherweight titleholder who makes his WSOF debut while trying to take Palmer’s belt. The champ has fought unbeaten foes before – and knows a thing or two from being unbeaten himself not that long ago.

“When it comes down to it, everybody’s undefeated at some point in their career, and nobody ever thinks they’re going to lose a fight,” Palmer told MMAjunkie Radio. “After that first loss, he’ll have to go out and reevaluate and refocus himself. But coming into the fight, I’m sure he’s confident.”

Palmer and Harrison co-headline WSOF 35, which takes place at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y. The main card, which features a trio of title fights, airs on NBCSN following prelims on MMAjunkie.

Palmer, who’s long made his training home at the esteemed Team Alpha Male camp in Sacramento, Calif., was unbeaten when he came to WSOF as RFA’s featherweight champ. He fought Georgi Karakhanyan for the promotion’s inaugural 145-pound belt and was submitted in the third round for his first taste of defeat.

But his next fight out, he fought the unbeaten Nick LoBosco and helped show him what it’s like to get a first MMA loss. The only problem was, LoBosco didn’t seem to take it too well. Palmer is intent on handing Harrison his first loss on Saturday, and then the question will be how he’ll take it.

“When I was 7-1, right after I had my first lost, I fought (LoBosco), and he didn’t think he was going to lose either,” Palmer said. “He was super cocky going into the weigh-ins and the fight and the interviews, all that stuff. Even after I submitted him in the first round, he had a lot to say on Twitter.

“It doesn’t define me as a fighter to lose, and I have a lot of respect for (Harrison). But this is my belt, and this is my career, so he’s going to have to take that loss eventually. Why not be Saturday?”

After Palmer beat LoBosco to get back on track, he submitted Rick Glenn to win WSOF’s featherweight title. Then he defended it with a submission win over Chris Horodecki in June 2015. But in December 2015, he lost a decision to Alexandre Almeida and surrendered the title.

Seven months later, he got a rematch – and won back the belt for his second stint with the strap. So title fights have become something Palmer is getting used to. And he said much of his continued improvement is owed to his coaches at Team Alpha Male, including Justin Buchholz, Chris Holdsworth and Danny Castillo, all former fighters.

“I definitely have a lot of room to improve,” Palmer said. “I’ve learned so much in the last six years. It’s just going out and performing. … All these guys are awesome, and I appreciate everything they do for me because I consider myself kind of a veteran of the team now just because I’ve been here six years. But these guys have so much knowledge I feel like I’m learning something new every day.”

For more on WSOF 35, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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