When Lando Vannata was in the moment back in 2017, in his first fight with Bobby Green, he actually thought he’d lost the fight.
“It’s so hard to judge when you’re in there fighting. It’s so hard to know what the scorecard is gonna be,” Vannata (11-4-2) told media outlets including Cageside Press ahead of the pair’s rematch at UFC Vegas 5 this Saturday. “I actually thought I lost the fight when I was in it, it wasn’t til I went back and watched the fight, that I was like, ‘I thought I clearly won it.'”
When they hit the octagon this weekend, their second fight will be a rare chance, outside the big names and headliners of the sport, to run one back. Since that first fight at UFC 216, Vannata has struggled to find consistency. But he’s grown as a fighter, Vannata said, something he doubts Green has done.
“I feel like he’s got a very similar style. There’s some things he does differently. A few layers to his game. But I think all in all, he’s more or less the same,” Vannata opined. “I think I’ve changed numerous times since then.”
One key in his ever changing came is adaptability. “I kind of fight a little bit differently based on who the opponent is,” Vannata stated. “I feel like I’ve grown leaps and bounds, and I’m really looking forward to putting it on display.”
One thing he won’t be doing on Saturday, no matter how eager he is to earn his second straight win in the octagon, is head hunting. “I don’t want to get caught up in trying to end the fight. I’m not going to force it,” promised Vannata. “I’m just going to go out there and fight my fight.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 5 media day press scrum with Lando Vannata above.
