Lando Vannata vs. Marcos Mariano official for UFC 234

Lando Vannata will welcome Brazilian lightweight Marcos Mariano to the Octagon at UFC 234 in Melbourne on Feb. 9, the promotion announced. Nolan King first reported the booking.

Mariano, 6-4 as a professional fighter and winner of four of his last five, is a teammate of former middleweight champion Anderson Silva, who faces Israel Adesanya on the same card in Australia.

Vannata (9-3-2), a fan favorite lightweight, has his back against the wall after going 1-3-2 in his six UFC appearances. In his only Octagon win, “Groovy” knocked out John Makdessi with a wheel kick.

UFC 234 takes place at the Rod Laver Arena and features Robert Whittaker vs. Kelvin Gastelum for the middleweight crown in the main event.