Lightweight action is headed to UFC Rio Rancho as Lando Vannata will throw down with Yancy Medeiros.
February’s UFC Rio Rancho card continues to grow, and the latest addition features a pair of flashy lightweights. On Friday, Lando Vannata announced via social media that he’ll be facing Hawaii’s Yancy Medeiros at the Fight Night event next February.
Taking on @ymedeiros here at home in New Mexico, February 15th at #UFCRioRancho pic.twitter.com/MqoI2wK4eb
— Lando Vannata (@GroovyLando) December 20, 2019
Vannata (10-4-2), born in New Jersey, has trained in New Mexico for years, with Jackson-Wink MMA and Jackson’s MMA Acoma. Stepping into the octagon for the first time in a short-notice fight against Tony Ferguson in 2016, he turned heads by putting up one of the toughest fights Ferguson had faced to that point.
‘Groovy’ Lando has struggled to find consistency in the UFC thus far, however. He’s 2-4-2 with the promotion, but has four post-fight bonuses in that stretch. Most recently, Vanatta suffered a defeat against Marc Diakiese at UFC Copenhagen back in September.
Yancy Medeiros (15–6, 1NC) will look to snap a two-fight skid against Vannata in New Mexico. The 32-year old has fought at both lightweight and welterweight during his UFC run but returned to 155lbs last time out. That fight ended in the second round, when Medeiros was stopped by Gregor Gillespie.
Consistency has been a killer for Medeiros of late, as he made it to the octagon just once in both 2018 and 2019.
UFC Rio Rancho (UFC Fight Night 167) takes place February 15, 2020 at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.
