Rivalries: Chris Wade

Chris Wade never shies away from getting back on the horse whenever it bucks him off.

The 34-year-old former Ring of Combat champion will step onto the Professional Fighters League stage for his first 2022 assignment when he toes the line against Lance Palmer in a PFL 2 featherweight pairing on Thursday at Esports Stadium Arlington in Arlington, Texas. Wade finds himself on the rebound but has posted three wins across his past four appearances and carries an 8-4 record inside the PFL. He has suffered back-to-back defeats just once in his career.

As Wade moves ever closer to his showdown with Palmer, a look at some of the rivalries that have played a role in charting his course to this point:

Rustam Khabilov

The Russian grappler utilized repeated takedowns and vicious ground-and-pound to claim a unanimous decision over Wade in the featured UFC Fight Night 87 prelim on May 8, 2016 at Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, Netherlands. All three cageside judges scored it for Khabilov: 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28. A jumping switch kick from Wade floored the seasoned sambo practitioner in the second round but only seemed to light a fire under him. Khabilov swept into top position, threatened with a triangle choke and later escaped to his feet and landed a takedown. He then proceeded to dominate Round 3. A short-notice replacement for the injured Rashid Magomedov, Khabilov grounded the visibly fatigued Wade repeatedly and battered him with punches, leaving no doubt as to which man was superior. The loss was the New York native’s first in more than three years.

Frankie Perez

Wade parted ways with the Ultimate Fighting Championship on a high note when he took a unanimous decision from the Ricardo Almeida disciple in their UFC on Fox 25 rematch on July 22, 2017 at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. Scores were 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27. Wade outstruck his counterpart by narrow margins in the first and second rounds, executed three takedowns and, perhaps most importantly, piled up more than eight minutes of control time in the 15-minute affair. He sealed Perez’s fate in Round 3, where he conceded a takedown, reversed into top position, dictated the terms of their engagement and made an impression on the cageside judges. The win moved Wade to 2-0 in their head-to-head series, as he had eked out a split decision over Perez under the Ring of Combat banner some three years prior. Neither man has appeared inside the Octagon since.

Natan Schulte

The American Top Team standout escaped with a split verdict over Wade after a three-round battle in their PFL 9 lightweight tournament semifinal on Oct. 13, 2018 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California. All three cageside judges scored it 29-28. The top-seeded Schulte—who had taken a unanimous decision from “The Long Island Killer” during the regular season four months earlier—spent a majority of their rematch marching forward, a tactic that perhaps provided him with the edge he needed. Also working in the Brazilian’s favor were a pair of first-round takedowns. Wade, to his credit, was not dissuaded. He accumulated points with crisp punching combinations, oblique kicks and the occasional spinning attack. However, his efforts went for naught, as he failed to slow Schulte’s forward progress enough to impress two members of the judiciary.

Bubba Jenkins

Wade outscrambled, outgrappled and outhustled the onetime NCAA wrestling champion to a unanimous decision in the PFL 9 featherweight tournament semifinal on Aug. 27, 2021 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28, all for the Long Island MMA representative. Jenkins struck for two takedowns early in the first round, then ran into trouble. Wade threatened him with an anaconda choke, transitioned to a guillotine and ultimately moved to the back, where he worked toward a rear-naked choke. The scene repeated itself over and over again across the final 10 minutes. Jenkins initiated grappling exchanges, only to be outmaneuvered by the former Ring of Combat titleholder. Wade opened a cut near his counterpart’s right eye with a hook kick in the third round and shifted to advantageous positions once the action spilled onto the floor.

Movlid Khaybulaev

The undefeated Russian left the Sunshine State with an extra $1 million in his bank account after he laid claim to a clear-cut unanimous decision over Wade in the Professional Fighters League featherweight tournament final on Oct. 27, 2021 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida. All three judges struck 50-45 scorecards for Khaybulaev, who called upon suffocating top control and clean counterstriking in the 25-minute shutout. Wade was characteristically stubborn and resilient, but his inability to stave off takedowns and his opponent’s unwavering commitment to mat returns resulted in a mountain that was too steep for the Long Island native to climb. Khaybulaev led the dance like a pro and more often than not forced the exchanges—whether on the feet or on the ground—to unfold under his terms. The victory was his fifth in a row and moved his record to 19-0-1 with one no contest.