Things are a lot sunnier in Lance Palmer Land now than they were four months ago.
December 18 wasn’t exactly a banner day for The Party. He came out flat and stayed that way, losing his World Series of Fighting featherweight title to underdog Alexandre Almeida in a close judges’ decision that some observers believed was a made in error.
After the fight, Palmer (10-2) agreed with that assessment. But he wasn’t done. He lobbed some scalding words at Team Alpha Male, the California gym where Palmer trains and that, at the time, was reeling from the defections of top charges T.J. Dillashaw and Joseph Benavidez.
The team, Palmer said, wasn’t giving him the education and support he needed to evolve. Would the four-time All-American wrestler be the next star to leave the Alpha Male stable? In the moment, a visibly frustrated Palmer left the question open.
But now it’s April. The sun is back, flowers are blooming, bees are buzzing and Lance Palmer is in a much better mood. During a recent phone interview, Palmer was analytical about mistakes he says he made during (and before) his title loss and eager for his upcoming rematch with Almeida.
He also had conciliatory words for Team Alpha Male, where a new coaching staff, Palmer said, have him rededicated to the camp.
“I said some things I shouldn’t have said,” Palmer said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “It was a time when things weren’t going well. And that had to be figured out, and we figured it out. Things are going in the right direction now.”
A trio of UFC veterans from the Alpha Male stable—head coach Justin Buchholz, wrestling instructor Danny Castillo and grappling instructor Chris Holdsworth—have solidified the camp’s coaching roster, Palmer said. Along with boxing coach Joey Rodriguez and trainer Thonglor “Master Thong” Armatsena, not only is the actual training better, but the burden on fighters to educate their teammates is substantially lighter. Founded by Urijah Faber as a “co-op” without a formal coaching structure, the onus was, in large part, on fighters to instruct one another, even orchestrating and overseeing practice sessions for others on top of their on training.
According to Palmer, that philosophy remains to a point, but with the new coaches has come some much-needed structure. As a result, Palmer said he is now happy with Team Alpha Male and is no longer thinking about going elsewhere.
“Their sole purpose is to help people get better,” Palmer said of the coaches. “They focus on bringing up the newcomers. … When you’re solely devoted on coaching others, you can put 110 percent into that. … We’re doing things correctly as a team. Before, after [former coach] Duane Ludwig left, we were trying to train and run practice. But now if you’re a fighter, instead of having to run a whole practice, you can just do it in tidbits.”
Start the week off right! Attack the day. @TeamAlphaMale vs 🌍 pic.twitter.com/T30vvrCZZI
— Lance Palmer (@LancePalmer) April 18, 2016
The net result of this for Palmer is that he can focus entirely on his rematch with Almeida, which Palmer said is scheduled for July 30. The key factor in his loss wasn’t the judges, Palmer said, but rather an overextension of himself, both in training camp and in his outside-the-cage duties leading up to fight night.
“I think I did enough to win, but I’m not mad about it,” he said. “I was probably a little overtrained, and I didn’t get enough rest.”
The reason for his restlessness? Cornering commitments for three UFC teammates—Faber, Paige VanZant and Chad Mendes, to be exact—in Las Vegas just days before his own fight with Almeida.
“I always have my teammates’ back, and I loved to be there and do it for them,” Palmer said. “But it probably was not the best timing. … I went to Vegas, came back, then came right back to Vegas.”
Now, though, he said he’s corrected the issues, having learned the hard way to listen to his body more closely. The proof will be in the pudding July 30.
“We don’t have that team squabble going on. That was a rough time, but we got through that as a team,” Palmer said. “I’m kind of obsessed about this [rematch]. I’m getting my massages and getting my rest. Last time I didn’t go out with the intensity. Next time, I’m going to open up out there.”
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.
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