KEARNEY, Nebraska — Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) announced last month that they had signed four-time NCAA Division I All-American turned undefeated MMA fighter Lance "The Party" Palmer to a 3-fight deal. Now they have announced who he will be facing in his promotional debut.
Palmer will face "Lightning" Nick Macias, who also recently signed a 3-fight deal with the RFA. The two promising featherweight prospects will meet on the main card of RFA 3 – Stevenson vs. Cochrane on Saturday, June 30th. This will be an interesting clash between styles and will also present the toughest challenge to date that either fighter has faced thus far in their respective MMA careers.
On top of Palmer’s well-documented wrestling accolades that he earned at Ohio State, he has been training with Team Alpha Male in Sacramento, California alongside the likes of Urijah Faber, Chad Mendes, Joseph Benavidez, Danny Castillo, and other wrestlers who now fight in the UFC. He is also currently on Faber’s coaching staff for The Ultimate Fighter 15, which is televised live every Friday night on FX.
Palmer’s wrestling base will clash with Macias’ Muay Thai background, which Macias has been perfecting under the tutelage of Marc Montoya at Factory X Muay Thai, which is located just south of Denver, Colorado. Macias trains alongside UFC and TUF 11 veteran Chris Camozzi, who is getting set to return to the UFC just 8 days before Macias’ bout with Palmer. This will definitely intensify their training camp.
Meanwhile, Palmer has been part of Team Faber’s training camp on TUF 15, while also serving as one of his coaches. He has been helping Faber get ready for his next fight, which was originally set to be the rubber match against rival coach and current champion Dominick Cruz. However, now that Cruz is out with an ACL injury, Faber is expected to be fighting for the UFC interim bantamweight title exactly one week after Palmer and Macias meet at RFA 3. This will give Palmer an extra push in his training camp as well.
The main event of RFA 3 will feature the return of Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, who is a 16-time UFC veteran and TUF 2 champion. He is noted as being one of the most likeable fighters in the sport and has previosuly fought for the UFC lightweight title in 2008. Stevenson will make his return after a year out of the sport against hometown favorite Dakota Cochrane, who is a 2-time RFA veteran and TUF 15 veteran. Cochrane holds a notable win over former WEC lightweight champion Jamie Varner and is a graduate from the local University of Nebraska-Kearney (UNK).
The lightweight headliner between Stevenson and Cochrane will be anchored by an equally explosive light-heavyweight clash, as former UFC heavyweight champion Maurice Smith makes his highly-anticipated return to the RFA. After recording a highlight reel head kick KO against Jorge Cordoba at RFA 2, Smith now faces a bigger challenge. He will square off with Oklahoma native Preston Snook, who holds a notable submission win over Strikeforce star Lumumba Sayers. Smith vs. Snook will serve as the co-main event of RFA 3.
Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA) was founded in 2011 and includes a number of prominent businessmen, fight promoters, matchmakers, and others with successful careers in hosting Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) shows across the United States. To learn more, check out their website at www.RFAfighting.com.