SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Lando Vannata made a fashion statement after his loss to Tony Ferguson in the UFC Fight Night 91 co-main event. And it’s probably one he’ll want to avoid in the future.
Then again, his fashion statement – purple swelling and bruising across both eyes and his nose to match a purple suit – was worth $50,000 extra for “Fight of the Night” in his UFC debut. So he’s got that going for him, which is nice.
As a short-notice lightweight replacement for Michael Chiesa, Vannata (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) gave Tony Ferguson (21-3 MMA, 11-1 UFC) hell on Wednesday at UFC Fight Night 91, which took place at Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. The main card, including Ferguson-Vannata, aired on FS1 following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
And though he had more than his share of great moments in the fight, ultimately he had to tap to Ferguson’s D’Arce choke in the second round. And he knows what led to that, too.
“I feel good right now,” Vannata said. “I’m a little upset with my performance – I let my emotions get the better of me. But I feel all right. In the first round, I was clear-headed and I was executing my game plan. I was moving well. In the second round, I started pushing him back a little bit, and beginning to control the pace, and I let my ego get in the way. I got caught up in the brawl, and I started walking forward with my hands down, not moving my head, (not) moving my feet. And I paid the price for it.”
Still, Vannata left the arena with, no doubt, way more notoriety than he had when he walked in, and there’s something to be said for that. Plus, he got that $50,000 bonus check, which certainly isn’t bad for a short-notice UFC debut.
“To fight the No. 3 guy on two weeks’ notice and drop him a couple times, and do as well as I did, yeah, there’s a little moral victory in there,” Vannata said.
View full post on News | MMAjunkie
