Daniel Zellhuber Pieces Up Lando Vannata

Daniel
Zellhuber parlayed youth, size and speed into a win over
Lando
Vannata in a lightweight showcase at
UFC on ESPN 44.

For a moment, it looked as though the fight might not make it out
of the first frame. Late in the round, Zellhuber rocked Vannata
with a punch, then smashed him with a right knee to the head,
dropping him to the canvas. Vannata hung on desperately, staying in
motion and avoiding the worst of the punishment as referee Jason
Herzog looked on closely, and managed finally to return to his feet
near the fence. The veteran made adjustments between rounds,
however, and used constant stance switches in Round 2 to confound
Zellhuber, get inside the taller man’s kicking range and land
several clean counters.

The 23-year-old Mexican took over again in the final round, keeping
Vannata on the outside and stinging him with jabs, crosses and a
couple of shockingly quick high kicks. There was little suspense,
as the judges scored the fight for Zellhuber (29-27, 29-28, 30-27),
who moved to 1-1 in the UFC since graduating from the 2021 season
of Dana White’s Contender Series.

In defeat, Vannata fell to 4-7-2 in the Octagon and has now lost
two in a row, his first streak of any kind since joining the
promotion seven years ago.