Four-time All-American wrestler Lance Palmer (1-0) was victorious in his pro MMA debut last night in California. Palmer defeated Stockton-based fighter Emilio Gonzales (0-2) via rear naked choke at 2:20 of the first round at “Fight for Wrestling 3″ in Bakersfield.

Palmer, who moved to Sacramento last year after his Big Ten championship and runner-up performance in the NCAA tournament to train with Team Alpha Male, had originally hoped to debut sooner, but he took some time off from MMA training during the winter to take a coaching job at Virginia Tech.

After announcing his intentions to transition to MMA, he immediately received lots of media attention as one of the best wrestling prospects to make the jump last year.

Full video of his debut is below.