World Series of Fighting traveled outside of the U.S. for the first time on Saturday night, as the organization crowned its first featherweight champion inside PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Georgi Karakhanyan (23-3) defeated Lance Palmer (7-1) by third-round submission in the main event of the evening to capture the inaugural WSOF featherweight belt, solidifying his place as the top 145-pound fighter on the roster. The opening round was contested primarily on the feet and was fairly even before Palmer landed an accidental eye poke that briefly broke up the action. As the fight wore on, Palmer continued to mix up his attacks, throwing some strikes while also resorting to his decorated wrestling abilities. While Karakhanyan was somewhat active from his back with submission attempts, the relentless smothering of Palmer seemed like it was going to be enough to cruise to a decision. Karakhanyan had other plans, though, and when an opening came up late in the third round, he locked in a guillotine choke that gave Palmer no choice but to tap out. Most expected Palmer to dominate the grappling due to his wrestling background, but on this night it was the mat work of Karakhanyan that earned him the WOF championship.
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