An exciting featherweight matchup is set for two electrifying veterans who have a propensity and natural affinity to fight in all-out wars. Lando Vannata, holding a professional record of 12-5-2, will look to implement his crisp boxing against the heavy-pressure Muay-Thai fighter, 12-4-1, Charles Jourdain.
Betting Odds
Charles Jourdain is a short -140 favorite over Lando Vannata.
- Vannata: +110
- Jourdain: -130
Breakdown
Vannata is a battle-tested veteran who is known for having entertaining fights. The reasoning for this is his natural skill-set is best suited for in-the-pocket fighting, whereby he can land effective boxing combinations to both the head and body. Interestingly, albeit he enjoys boxing as a primary tactic inside the octagon, he is far more of a counter-puncher than one who marches down his opponent, cuts angles, and implements a pressure-heavy approach to ensure close-range hands supersede long-range attacks. Because Vannata has a unique counterstriking style, he has a tendency to fight in wars as he inherently needs to put his foot in the ground and swing contrary to striking and moving.
Being a true veteran of the sport, Vannata does have an alternate attack when he feels he needs to change the direction of the fight, most notably, shooting a takedown. The success of the takedown has differed fight over fight, as the outcome of Vannata landing a takedown is often predicated on if he can successfully chain it together off of his hands; if done, he can takedown individuals with strong wrestling acumen. However, if Vannata fails to do so, and he is not getting the better of exchanges on the feet, his lack of defensive movement coupled with favoring power strikes over output can loom large in his ability to win the fight. So, Vannata will need to find success in landing early in the fight given it opens up doors for him to secure victory as the fight ensues.
Jourdain is perhaps one of the most entertaining fighters outside the rankings the UFC has on its roster, as he employs a heavy-pressure approach with frequent kicks from both stances. This style is quite unique, given many kick-dominate fighters utilize footwork to keep their opponent at range, and once there, use their long-range attacks to find success on the feet. Beyond the pressure-forward style benefiting Jourdain by weaponizing strong cardio and opening up the opportunity to land strong knees and elbows inside the pocket, the rationale for Jourdain electing to use this style is he truly enjoys fighting. What I mean by this is he has a tendency to favor wars over fighting the easiest path to victory, and this is rooted in his desire to finish his opponent contrary to merely outpointing his way to victory. The totality of fight style, skill, and mentality all contribute to his fan-friendly style, but, to maximize his appeal, he will need to show better in keeping the fight standing as he does have trouble defending the takedown.
Prediction
This fight is a likely candidate to be the fight of the night. Often, when a fight is the fight of the night, both fighters have success in the bout, and I expect this to be no different. Vannata will likely find success in countering the heavy pressure of Jourdain, particularly with landing strong hooks to the body. Meanwhile, Jourdain will find success in landing a variety of kicks, knees, and elbows, particularly with Vannata willing to be somewhat stationary when getting pressured. So, one would presume the takedowns of Vannata are the deciding factor in the fight; however, I do expect Jourdain’s plethora of attacks to become too much for Vannata to handle as the fight progresses. So, although I believe Vannata’s boxing will have moments and I do foresee him wrestling when needed, I anticipate Jourdain to inflict more damage and land more strikes than Vannata, as such, I am predicting him to win via close decision.
Bet: Jourdain by Dec