Vannata made his professional MMA debut in May 2012. He amassed an undefeated record of 8–0 in various promotions over the next four years before joining the UFC.
After an injury to Michael Chiesa, Vannata was called on two weeks' notice to fight against ranked #3 lightweight Tony Ferguson on July 16, 2016, at. After an exciting back-and-forth fight, and almost finishing Ferguson with strikes in the first round he lost by submission in the second round. Both participants were awarded a Fight of the Night bonus. Vannata faced John Makdessi on December 10, 2016, at UFC 206 He won the fight via highlight reel spinning heel kick knockout in the first round and was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. Vannata faced David Teymur on March 4, 2017, at UFC 209. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. The fight was awarded Fight of the Night honors. Vannata was expected to face Abel Trujillo on October 7, 2017, at UFC 216. However, Trujillo was removed from the card on August 14 for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Bobby Green. Vannata struck Green with a knee while Green was a grounded opponent, which caused referee Herb Dean to deduct one point from Vannata. The judges handed down a split draw after three round with score of 29-27-27-29 and 28-28. This fight earned him Fight of the Night award. Vannata was linked to a fight with Gilbert Burns on April 14, 2018, at UFC on Fox 29. However, the pairing never materialized as Vannata was unable to accept the fight for this date/event as he was still rehabilitating a recent arm injury. Vannata faced Drakkar Klose on July 7, 2018, at UFC 226. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. After the fight with Klose, Vannata departed from Jackson Wink MMA Academy in the heels of Donald Cerrone's departure. Due to the departure, Vannata begun training at both Cerrone's BMF Ranch and Jackson's MMA Association Gym. Vannata faced Matt Frevola on November 3, 2018 at UFC 230. The bout ended in a majority draw. Shortly after the fight, Vannata announced that he became a free agent. In the beginning of 2019, Vannata announced that he had signed a new, four-fight contract with the UFC. Vannata faced promotional newcomer Marcos Rosa Mariano on February 10, 2019 at UFC 234. He won the fight via a submission in round one. Vannata faced Marc Diakiese on September 28, 2019 at UFC on ESPN+ 18. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Vannata faced Yancy Medeiros on February 15, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 167.. He won the fight via unanimous decision. A rematch with Bobby Green took place on August 1, 2020 at. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award..
