ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Albuquerque-trained fighter Lando Vannata is making his return to the octagon for UFC Fight Night on Saturday. It will be his first fight since May 2021.
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“Yeah, I haven’t fought in almost a year and last year I got a W and then I got a couple of injuries, which put me out for a little bit, and then I got a fight and then I got COVID, which took me out of that fight, and then I got injured again in training,” Vannata said. “So, its just been a mess of the last 10 months but now I am, back 100 percent, feeling good, and ready to go.”
Vannata currently holds a 12-5 record and is looking to win a second consecutive fight. Most of his bouts however, have come in the lightweight division, and this will only be his third featherweight fight.
“It was a great learning experience and I grew up a lot in the UFC, and now I am at my proper weight division at 145 and I have the maturity, I have the skills, I have the mindset, to absolutely take over this division,” he said.
His opponent on Saturday night will be Charles Jourdain. With a 12-4-1 record and similar measurables, the bout appears to be pretty even. Jourdain is favored to win the fight, and Vannata knows he has a tough task ahead of him.
“He is dangerous in certain areas for sure and he always has a punchers chance, but overall I find him to be a mediocre fighter at best and I am going to make a statement with this one.”
