Featherweights
NR | Charles Jourdain (12-4-1, 3-3-1 UFC) vs. NR | Lando Vannata (12-5-2, 4-5-2 UFC)This should be another entertaining bout featuring Jourdain, who has made a name for himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC during his time with the promotion. It has been a learning process for the Quebec native during his time on the big stage. On the regional scene, he could reliably bet on his ability to find a finish at some point during his fights, but he has had some bumps along the way against opponents who were able to stick around and fight back. A December 2019 knockout of Doo Ho Choi, which still stands out as Jourdain’s signature win, allowed him to find some footing in the UFC, and it says a lot that he is now firmly a fighter to watch despite not yet stringing together consecutive wins with the company. That is partly due to his willingness to step in on late notice—most notably in a tough January spot against Ilia Topuria that was later scrapped due to issues on the latter’s end—and in large part due to the level of violence that he brings to the cage. Carlos Condit has been an apt comparison thanks to Jourdain’s willingness to learn over the course of his fights, mostly through engaging with his opponents head-on and battling through attrition. His December win over Andre Ewell was his best performance yet, with Jourdain doing everything but scoring a finish by the end of 15 minutes. Still just 26 years old, he looks to build on that momentum against a fellow action hero in Vannata.
Vannata has followed a surprisingly similar path to Jourdain in terms of results, though he had a much more notable debut. Stepping in on late notice to face then-top lightweight contender Tony Ferguson, Vannata nearly pulled off the upset in an excellent fight before falling victim to an eventual “El Cucuy” comeback. After following that performance with a spinning wheel kick knockout of John Makdessi, Vannata was marked as one of the top prospects in the sport heading into 2017, at which point things started to go sideways. David Teymur became the first opponent of many to highlight the inefficiencies of Vannata’s game, keeping up with his free-flowing style until “Groovy Lando” was clearly the one to tire out first. The end result? Much like Jourdain, Vannata has yet to put together consecutive wins or losses during his time in the UFC; in Vannata’s case, that even includes two draws over a three-fight stretch. A May win over Mike Grundy was a solid performance, particularly since it marked Vannata’s cut down to featherweight, so there is some hope that he is turning a long-awaited corner. Establishing an actual winning streak with a victory over Jourdain would do much to prove that point.
This should be a tale of two fights, both exciting. Vannata figures to get out to his usual hot start and could even catch Jourdain cold for a finish, but he also should start to fade as the Canadian warms up and starts building his offense. The breakneck pace at which Jourdain works should eventually tire Vannata out, but the American might still be able to hang on for a victory. Beyond the early lead he figures to build up, Vannata is also willing to lean on his wrestling from time to time—something that figures to pay dividends against the sometimes-spotty Jourdain defense. How effectively Vannata is able to control this fight late figures to tell the tale of who wins the decision, and the bet is that between the pacing improvements he has slowly made over time and that wrestling skill, he will do just enough to stay ahead on the scorecards. The pick is Vannata via decision.
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