Excitement is in the air as two formidable fighters prepare to clash! This live blog is dedicated to the thrilling match between Arman Tsarukyan and Lance Palmer, a highlight of the RAF 5 event taking place this Saturday night at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida.
Arman Tsarukyan is often regarded as one of the top contenders in the lightweight division of mixed martial arts (MMA) today. Currently, he finds himself in an intriguing phase of his career. Although many consider him the leading contender for the UFC championship currently held by Ilia Topuria, Tsarukyan was notably overlooked for this month’s interim lightweight title bout scheduled at UFC 324. Instead, much of his past year has involved participating in grappling matches, including a recent modified rules contest against Shara Bullet just weeks ago. Now, while he patiently awaits his return to the octagon, Tsarukyan is also exploring the world of traditional wrestling as he makes his debut in the RAF organization.
On the other side of the mat is Lance Palmer, a four-time NCAA Division-I All-American wrestler hailing from Ohio State University. Despite his impressive collegiate accolades, Palmer did not achieve significant success on the senior wrestling circuit. He made the decision to transition to MMA immediately after completing his college career, which turned out to be a wise choice. Palmer went on to become a two-time World Series of Fighting (WSOF) featherweight champion and claimed victory in two Professional Fighters League (PFL) tournaments during his MMA journey. However, the last few years have presented challenges for Palmer, as he has struggled with a record of just one win and five losses in MMA. Additionally, he faced setbacks including a grappling defeat at Karate Combat and losing his RAF debut to Austin Gomez at the inaugural RAF event.
Now, let’s dive into the live updates for the Tsarukyan versus Palmer showdown below.
Period 1
As the match begins, Tsarukyan and Palmer engage quickly, with Tsarukyan seizing a front headlock almost right away! Utilizing a snapdown technique, he attempts to gain back exposure but Palmer manages to resist. Nevertheless, Tsarukyan scores an impressive four points right from the start.
Palmer makes a move for Tsarukyan's leg, driving forward, but the action stalls as they go out of bounds. They reset, and Tsarukyan demonstrates his dominance by pushing Palmer out again, scoring yet another point. After a reset, Tsarukyan pushes Palmer out of bounds once more, bringing the score to 6-0 in favor of Tsarukyan. In yet another reset, Tsarukyan executes a snapdown to a front headlock, bringing Palmer down and skillfully spinning to secure a takedown! Tsarukyan is clearly taking control!
Continuing his assault, Tsarukyan goes for a gut wrench and successfully executes it! With back exposure achieved, Tsarukyan finishes the first period triumphantly, securing a technical fall! To cap it off, he adds another back exposure before celebrating his victory!
Official Decision
Arman Tsarukyan defeats Lance Palmer via technical fall (10-0).
What are your thoughts on Tsarukyan's performance? Do you think he is on the path to become a champion in the UFC? Share your opinions in the comments!
