Fight By Fight Preview | UFC Fight Night: Lemos vs Andrade
“I saw how not in shape I was for Ilia,” Jourdain said. “I was like ‘I’m small, I’m good’, but it was Christmas, I had just had a big win, big cash, so I partied a bit and got a little bit thicker. After a full camp for Lando (Vannata), I understand how important it is to be in shape, like in sparring and everything. It’s important.”
His opponent on Saturday, Lando Vannata, made his featherweight debut in his last fight at UFC 262 in May. The New Jersey native has only been submitted once in his UFC career, which began in 2016.
“The only guy who finished him was Tony Ferguson and you guys know I’m a finisher, so this is what I’m hunting for. Knowing that I can finish someone that has only been finished by a world champion, it would be very good for me.”
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Jourdain compared Vannata to a chameleon, as a fighter that adapts to you. During his preparation for this fight, Jourdain went back and watched a lot of Vannata’s fights, noting how different each one was because he fights differently every time out. He’s ready to adapt and impose his will, while remaining cautious of the threats that “Groovy” presents.
“I need to break his groove,” Jourdain said. “They call him groovy, and I need to make sure he’s not in the groove mode because this is his power zone. I need to take him away from that, I need to make him pay. Every time he tries to do something, I need to hit him with something heavy. When he’s grooving, I need to break that s*** right away.”