Tag: Lando Vannata

UFC finalizing Andre Fili vs. Lando Vannata for Sept. 17

Two fan favorites are lined up for a featherweight clash.

Two exciting featherweights will meet in a three-round bout Sept. 17.

At the UFC Fight Night event scheduled for a yet-to-be-determined location and venue, 145-pound staples [autotag]Andre Fili[/autotag] and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] will square off.

Two people with knowledge of the booking recently informed MMA Junkie of the matchup but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Fili (21-9 MMA, 9-8 UFC) will look to snap a three-fight winless streak, that includes two defeats and one no contest. Inactivity, though due to factors outside of his control, was a recent challenge for Fili, who has competed once since June 2021. He most recently fought in April when he lost by TKO to Joanderson Brito.

Vannata (12-6-2 MMA, 4-6-2 UFC) has alternated wins and losses over his past six appearances. Wins in that stretch include Marcos Mariano, Yancy Medeiros and Mike Grundy with losses to Marc Diakiese, Bobby Green and, in his most recent appearance, Charles Jourdain.

With the addition, the UFC lineup for Sept. 17 includes:

  • Louis Cosce vs. Trevin Giles
  • Trey Ogden vs. Daniel Zellhuber
  • Nikolas Motta vs. Cameron VanCamp
  • Andre Fili vs. Lando Vannata

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UFC Fight Night 205 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $8.5 million

UFC Fight Night 205 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 205 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $149,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 205 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 205 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Amanda Lemos[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Claudio Puelles[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Montana De La Rosa[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Marc-Andre Barriault[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Jordan Wright[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Sergey Khandozhko[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dwight Grant[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Tyson Pedro[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ike Villanueva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Aori Qileng[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Cameron Else[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Evan Elder[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Marcin Prachnio[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Mike Jackson[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dean Barry[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2057 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2051 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $2,470,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $8,638,000

UFC books Charles Jourdain vs. Lando Vannata for April 23

Two featherweight action-fighters will throw down at the UFC Apex.

Two high-action featherweights are on a collision course for April 23.

Canada’s [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] and the United States’ [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] will square off at the UFC Fight Night event scheduled for that date at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking Thursday to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Jourdain (12-4-1 MMA, 3-3-1 UFC) has won two of his most recent three bouts including victories over Marcelo Rojo and Andre Ewell. He was scheduled to compete at UFC 270 in January, but opponent Ilia Topuria withdrew due to a medical issue.

Over the span of his most recent three, Vannata (12-5-2 MMA, 4-5-2 UFC) has found the same success as Jourdain. A loss to Bobby Green is bookended by wins over Yancy Medeiros and Mike Grundy.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 23 includes:

  • Jessica Andrade vs. Amanda Lemos
  • Tanner Boser vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Manel Kape vs. Su Mudaerji
  • Louis Cosce vs. Preston Parsons
  • Qileng Aori vs. Cameron Else
  • Clay Guida vs. Claudio Puelles
  • Maycee Barber vs. Montana De La Rosa
  • Tyson Pedro vs. Ike Villanueva
  • Dwight Grant vs. Sergey Khandozkho
  • Charles Jourdain vs. Lando Vannata

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Tucker Lutz pulled from Lando Vannata fight, Lutz vs. Pat Sabatini in the works

Pat Sabatini is going to need to keep these Tuckers straight.

[autotag]Pat Sabatini[/autotag] is going to need to keep these Tuckers straight.

Sabatini (15-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC) was set to take on [autotag]Gavin Tucker[/autotag] (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) next month at UFC Fight Night 198. But Tucker is out, and a fight for Sabatini against [autotag]Tucker Lutz[/autotag] (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now is in the works, a person with knowledge of the new matchup told MMA Junkie. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement.

Lutz was scheduled to fight [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] (12-5-2 MMA, 4-5-2 UFC) a week earlier at UFC Fight Night 197. His shift to the Sabatini fight leaves Vannata without an opponent. It is not yet known if Vannata will remain on the card against a new opponent or will fight at a later date.

UFC Fight Night 197 takes place Nov. 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. UFC Fight Night 198 takes place at the same venue a week later on Nov. 20. Both cards will stream on ESPN+.

Lutz dropped his pro debut in 2015, but is on a 12-fight winning streak since then. After a pair of wins on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020, he made his promotional debut in May and took a unanimous decision against Kevin Aguilar at UFC 262.

Sabatini has won four straight fights. After he won the CFFC featherweight title in December 2020, he signed with the UFC. He won his promotional debut in April with a decision over Tristan Connelly. In August, he submitted Jamall Emmers in the first round.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night 198 lineup now includes:

  • Miesha Tate vs. Ketlen Vieira
  • Augusto Sakai vs. Tai Tuivasa
  • Sean Brady vs. Michael Chiesa
  • Joanne Calderwood vs. Taila Santos
  • Cody Durden vs. Aori Qileng
  • Cheyanne Buys vs. Loma Lookboonmee
  • Terrance McKinney vs. Fares Ziam
  • Rafa Garcia vs. Natan Levy
  • Tucker Lutz vs. Pat Sabatini
  • Azamat Murzakanov vs. Marcin Prachnio
  • Denys Bondar vs. Malcolm Gordon
  • Davey Grant vs. Adrian Yanez
  • Shayilan Nuerdanbieke vs. Sean Soriano

The UFC Fight Night 197 lineup includes:

  • Max Holloway vs. Yair Rodriguez
  • Da Un Jung vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
  • Cynthia Calvillo vs. Andrea Lee
  • Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Ben Rothwell
  • Philipe Lins vs. Ovince Saint Preux
  • Lando Vannata vs. TBA
  • Leah Letson vs. Felicia Spencer
  • Collin Anglin vs. Sean Woodson
  • Julio Arce vs. Song Yadong
  • Joel Alvarez vs. Thiago Moises
  • Kyle Daukaus vs. Kevin Holland

UFC 262 post-event facts: Charles Oliveira sets multiple records in title win

The best facts and figures to come out of UFC 262, which saw Charles Oliveira make history with his title-winning TKO of Michael Chandler.

The UFC’s seventh pay-per-view of the year delivered in a big way on Saturday with UFC 262 at Toyota Center in Houston.

Charles Oliveira (31-8 MMA, 19-8 UFC) became the new lightweight champion in the main event when he scored a thrilling second-round TKO win over Michael Chandler (22-6 MMA, 1-1 UFC), setting all types of UFC records in the process.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for 55 post-event facts to come out of UFC 262.

UFC free fight: Tony Ferguson submits Lando Vannata in wild brawl

Ahead of his UFC 262 co-main event with Beneil Dariush, relive Tony Ferguson’s finish of Lando Vannata at UFC Fight Night 91.

[autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] thrives in chaos.

With original opponent Michael Chiesa withdrawing, Ferguson faced promotional newcomer [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 91 in July 2016.

Much to everyone’s surprise, Vannata brought the fight to Ferguson. His fluid striking and swift movement threw Ferguson off guard, and he was able to land a spinning backfist early that rocked “El Cucuy.” But Ferguson kept moving forward, landing solid shots of his own as the two continued to trade.

With just over a minute left in Round 1, Vannata caught Ferguson’s kick and countered with a head kick, which dropped Ferguson and had him wobbling around the cage. Ferguson managed to survive and was somehow the much fresher fighter in Round 2. Vannata was a lot more flat-footed, and Ferguson started to take over. Midway through the round, Ferguson grabbed a hold of Vannata’s neck and dragged him down, submitting him with a brabo choke.

Ferguson (25-5 MMA, 15-3 UFC) returns to action Saturday against Beneil Dariush (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) in the co-main event of UFC 262, which takes place at Toyota Center in Houston.

Before he faces Dariush, relive Ferguson’s win over Vannata in the video above.

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UFC 262’s Lando Vannata says no turning back on featherweight move: ‘It’s all in or nothing now’

With nearly five years on the UFC roster and four “Fight of the Night” bonuses along the way, Lando Vannata is ready to deliver.

HOUSTON – With nearly five years on the UFC roster and four “Fight of the Night” bonuses along the way, [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] is happy with his standing in the sport – even if not everything has gone exactly his way.

“I wish I would have been more serious about it from the get-go,” Vannata told MMA Junkie on Wednesday at UFC 262 media day. “Maybe not ‘serious’ is the right word, but more consistent from the get-go. But other than that, no, I’ve learned a lot of great lessons in the sport through my opponents and through my coaches and through my teammates and through my ups and downs. I could say, yeah, I’d love to change some things, but the reality of it is I’m really friggin’ happy where I’m at right now.”

Of course, just being happy wasn’t enough for “Groovy” Lando.

While he’s given fans several memorable performances over the years, he also has yet to win consecutive fights in the octagon. His latest “Fight of the Night” loss to Bobby Green last August proved especially frustrating, and Vannata said it forced him to consider changes that he has since addressed.

“Just growing up, becoming more confident,” Vannata said. “Become more emotionally mature. Not fighting on my shield every single time and not becoming provoked inside the cage, so to say. Just growing up.

“I came in here five years ago when I was what, 23 years old, 24 years old? I’m growing up in the UFC.”

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Vannata (11-5-2 MMA, 3-5-2 UFC) gets an opportunity to show his growth at Saturday’s UFC 262, where he takes on English featherweight Mike Grundy (12-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC). It’s a new weight class for Vannata, who had previously been competing at 155 pounds, and he believes the matchup provides him an opportunity to make an immediate impact.

“Mike’s a tough guy,” Vannata said. “He’s a great wrestler, great submission artist, but f*ck him. I’m going out there to f*cking put on a show, man, and to reintroduce myself to the UFC, introduce myself to this division. Like, let’s go.

“You’re not going to hold me down. … I can f*cking wrestle. My submission wrestling, my ground game? Top notch. Like, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

With 10 UFC fights already to his name, Vannata believes Saturday’s event at the Toyota Center marks a milestone for him. Now it’s on to the next 10, and Vannata believes he’s truly ready to fulfill the potential that he’s shown glimpses of from the moment he debuted in the promotion.

“There’s no turning back,” Vannata said. “You’ve got to burn the ships. It’s all in or nothing now.”

UFC 262 airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

To hear the full interview with Vannata, check out the video above.

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UFC 262 pre-event facts: Charles Oliveira can make history with title win

The best facts and figures about UFC 262, where Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler chase history in the lightweight title main event.

The UFC’s sixth pay-per-view of the year takes place Saturday with UFC 262 at Toyota Center in Houston. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

A new lightweight champion will be crowned in the main event when [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC) and [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] (22-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) clash for the vacant strap after Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA competition.

It’s a big night for one of the most important divisions in the sport, and for more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the lineup, check below for 55 pre-event facts about UFC 262.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 post-event facts: Vicente Luque’s finishing ability stands out

All the notable stats to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 31, which took place in Las Vegas, and saw Derek Brunson beat Edmen Shahbazyan.

The UFC hosted another event on Saturday with UFC on ESPN+ 31, which took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streamed on ESPN+.

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag] (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC) pulled off an upset a 3-1 underdog in the main event when he derailed the hype around [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag] (11-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) with a third-round TKO win in the middleweight headliner.

Brunson’s victory concluded a rather unusual eight-fight card that featured a stunning amount of fight scratches in the days and hours leading up. For more on the numbers, check below for 25 post-event facts to come out of UFC on ESPN+ 31.

* * * *

General

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The UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payout for the event totaled $103,500.

Debuting fighters went 1-1-2 at the event.

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag], [autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag], [autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag] and [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag] earned $50,000 UFC on ESPN+ 31 fight-night bonuses.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 drew an announced attendance of zero for a live gate of $0.

Betting favorites went 4-3 on the card. On fight ended in a raw.

Betting favorites fell to 14-7 in UFC headliners this year.

Total fight time for the eight-bout card was 1:35:48.

Main card

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Brunson’s 12 victories since 2012 in UFC middleweight competition are the most in the division.

Brunson’s eight stoppage victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied for fourth most in divisional history behind Anderson Silva (11), Nate Marquardt (nine) and Chris Leben (nine).

Brunson’s seven knockout victories in UFC middleweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Silva (eight) and Thiago Santos (eight).

Shahbazyan had his 11-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

Maia (18-6-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) earned her first submission victory since May 10, 2014 – a span of 2,275 days (more than six years) and 13 fights.

[autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag] (14-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) fell to 4-2 in UFC women’s flyweight competition. She’s 4-2 in her career at 125 pounds.

Calderwood has suffered all three of her career stoppage losses by first-round submission.

Calderwood became the ninth fighter in history to suffer multiple armbar submission losses in UFC competition.

Luque (19-7-1 MMA, 12-3 UFC) has earned 17 of his 19 career victories by stoppage. That includes 11 of his 12 UFC wins.

Luque’s 11 stoppage victories since 2015 in UFC welterweight competition are most in the division during that span.

Luque’s 11 stoppage victories in UFC welterweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Matt Brown (13) and Matt Hughes (12).

Luque’s eight knockout victories in UFC welterweight competition are tied with Thiago Alves for second most in divisional history behind Brown (11).

Vannata (11-5-2 MMA, 3-5-2 UFC) fell to 2-4-2 in his past eight UFC appearances dating back to March 2017.

Preliminary card

[autotag]Frankie Saenz[/autotag] (12-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) fell to 2-5 in his past seven fights dating back to December 2015.

Saenz has suffered all four of his UFC stoppage losses by knockout.

[autotag]Johnny Munhoz[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) had his 10-fight winning streak snapped for the first defeat of his career.

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag] (15-4-2 MMA, 3-1-1 UFC) vs. Cody Durden (11-2-1 MMA, 0-0-1 UFC) marked the first unanimous draw in UFC history without point deductions.

UFC research analyst and live statistics producer Michael Carroll contributed to this story. Follow him on Twitter @MJCflipdascript.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Program total passes $34.5 million

UFC on ESPN+ 31 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that launched after the UFC’s deal with Reebok.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 31 event took home event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $103,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC on ESPN+ 31 took place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The entire card streamed ESPN+.

The full UFC on ESPN+ 31 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Derek Brunson[/autotag]: $20,000
def. [autotag]Edmen Shahbazyan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Jennifer Maia[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Joanne Calderwood[/autotag]: $10,000

[autotag]Vicente Luque[/autotag]: $10,000
def. [autotag]Randy Brown[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Bobby Green[/autotag]: $15,000
def. [autotag]Lando Vannata[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Jonathan Martinez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Frankie Saenz[/autotag]: $5,000

[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Johnny Munhoz[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Jamall Emmers[/autotag]: $3,500
def. [autotag]Vincent Cachero[/autotag]: $3,500

[autotag]Chris Gutierrez[/autotag]: $4,000
vs. [autotag]Cody Durden[/autotag]: $3,500

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Reebok’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $3,500 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,000; 6-10 bouts get $5,000; 11-15 bouts earn $10,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $15,000; and 21 bouts and more get $20,000. Additionally, champions earn $40,000 while title challengers get $30,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2020 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $3,601,000
2019 total: $7,370,500
2018 total: $6,901,000
2017 total: $6,295,000
2016 total: $7,138,000
2015 total: $3,185,000
Program-to-date total: $34,605,500