Lance Palmer capped off a big night at PFL 4 with a submission of Jumabieke Tuerxun — and now a potential rematch with Andre Harrison looms in the playoffs.
Uniondale, NY — Lance Palmer got the finish in the end on Thursday night at PFL 4 in Long Island. It wasn’t always the most exciting of main events, but Palmer used superior wrestling to control opponent Juma Tuerxun for the better part of three rounds. Then, with Tuexrun in over his head, he was able to take the back in the third. Getting hooks in, he applied what appeared to be a rear-naked choke. It went into the books as such, but Palmer explained after it was a neck crank. Either way, the end result was the same: a finish for Palmer. Now it’s on to the playoffs.
Speaking to the assembled media post-fight, Palmer was satisfied with the performance. “I did what I wanted to do out there,” he said.
“I’d like to get the finish a little sooner,” he allowed, “but it was good, because I got to go out and work on a few things.” As for which, well he was able to “work on some ground and pound, landed every strike that I threw on my feet pretty much. Got the takedowns there when I needed them. He tried to wrestle a little bit, but that was more to my advantage than his I think.” And the best part is, despite nearly going the distance, he still got the finish.
It was a very one-sided fight in the end. “I don’t think he landed one punch, maybe one punch the whole fight or something,” Palmer said of what he faced in the cage at PFL 4.
Asked about a potential rematch with Andre Harrison, who won in the evening’s co-main event and also holds a win over Tuerxun from PFL 1, Palmer admitted that “Harrison is super solid. He shuts guys down. I knew Juma was going to be tough to finish, because he’s just a tough guy. He’s got a hard head, he can take some shots.” Yet with Harrison going the distance with Juma, Palmer wanted to make a point, and get the stoppage.
“I think he was just kind of in there against Harrison and myself just trying to stay alive, and not really trying to win,” Palmer said of Tuerxun. In the end, Palmer got the finish he wanted. And Harrison may be just a little down the road.
The PFL playoffs, of course, will be a slightly different format. Two fights in a night. That won’t change anything for Lance Palmer, mind you. “Five rounds, or a potential of five rounds — I’ve fought plenty of five round fights,” he told Cageside Press. “It’s two different opponents, but I’m focused on the first fight. Whoever the first fight’s going to be, depending on how they do all the criteria for the rankings.”
“It doesn’t matter who it is, I still have to go out there one fight at a time and get the win,” he added.
Palmer doesn’t expect to meet Andre Harrison in the quarterfinals, based on how the rankings are. In the semis, though, it’s very possible. For now, however, it’s some well deserved time off before the next round.
Catch the full PFL 4 post-fight press scrum with Lance Palmer above!
