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PFL's Lance Palmer confident he's among world's best featherweights: 'I know I'm at the top'

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Lance Palmer thinks he’s one of the world’s best.

The former WSOF featherweight champion and two-time PFL season winner thinks he ranks among the best 145-pound fighters in MMA today. Palmer (22-3) returns to the cage Friday to start a quest toward a third consecutive PFL title and $1 million at the end of the season.

Palmer takes on Bubba Jenkins on the main card of PFL 2021, Week 1, which airs on ESPN 2. It’s the first bout of the featherweight season.

Currently on an 11-fight wining streak, Palmer thinks he’s up to par with UFC champion Alexander Volkanovski and former champ Max Holloway, as well as Bellator two-division champ Patricio Freire. That trio often is regarded as the best featherweights in MMA. The problem is that he’s unable to prove his standing since he can’t face them or other opposition that might give fans a better understanding of his skill set.

“It’s hard, because I don’t get to compete with any of those guys,” Palmer told reporters at PFL’s media day Tuesday. “You look at those guys and they’re in promotions that have been there a long time. The competition is well known there. The marketing is great there. I mean, they have their own rankings system, and that’s what people go off from.

“I feel I’m in the conversation for the best featherweight in the world. But until I get to face one of those people, that’s the only way I can prove it.”

Palmer thinks his wrestling gives him an edge over whom many consider the world’s best, since none are considered high-level wrestlers or hold the pedigree Palmer carries. The 34-year-old is a four-time NCAA Division-I All-American wrestler was a four-time Ohio state champion in high school.

“I think I can take anyone down, and that changes the course of the fight,” Palmer explained. “With all these other organizations able to throw elbows, obviously we can’t throw elbows in PFL, and that’s a huge part of my game to open things on the ground and be able to get to my submission game.

“I think that changes a lot of things if I’m able to get in a fight and get a takedown and throw elbows and set up my other stuff on the ground. I mean, a lot of people are high-level wrestlers in the sport, but not many people are able to use their MMA wrestling to get to those positions and take down people who usually don’t get taken down. All of those guys that are being mentioned are striking base. Holloway has a good jiu-jitsu base, but not a wrestling-based game. I’ve trained and sparred with the best featherweights in the world at one time or another and I know I’m at the top.”

For now, Palmer focuses on the task at hand, but doesn’t rule out a jump to another organization to prove he’s at the top of the mountain.

“I think for now, I’m just focused on this Friday, obviously, and I’m happy I’m able to fight again in this season of PFL. But you can win both those fights and still not get in the playoffs, so that may change things for the future. So we’ll see. I’m just focused on this Friday, and we’ll go from there.”

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