UFC Veteran Puts on Tefillin for First Time, Reportedly Loses 1,900 Followers

American mixed martial artist and UFC veteran Lando Vannata put on tefillin for the first time during a visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem, then reportedly lost approximately 1,900 Instagram followers after sharing the moment online.

Vannata is in Israel ahead of GFN 1: Israel vs. The World, an international combat-sports event scheduled for Monday at Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv. He is expected to face Israeli UFC veteran Natan Levy in a professional kickboxing bout.

His visit began at Ancient Shiloh in Binyamin, where he toured the site alongside fighters from Israel and other countries. During the visit, Vannata disclosed that his mother is Jewish and spoke about his personal connection to the Jewish people.

The fighters were shown the location where the Mishkan stood before the construction of the First Temple. Vannata then traveled to the Western Wall, where he put on tefillin for the first time and shared footage of the experience with his hundreds of thousands of social-media followers.

Hebrew media reported that his Instagram account lost approximately 1,900 followers within hours of the post. 

People involved in organizing the visit said they believed the drop may have been connected to anti-Israel activity online following Vannata’s posts from Israel and his public disclosure of his Jewish roots. Vannata reportedly acknowledged the decrease with a laughing emoji, but he has not issued a substantive public statement about the reaction.

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz praised Vannata for publicly identifying with Judaism during the visit.

“We are proud of Lando for refusing to be deterred and for proudly revealing his Judaism and his connection to the Land of Israel,” Ganz said. “The fact that this journey began here, in Ancient Shiloh, is especially moving.”

Ganz also called on Israelis to support Vannata on social media.

“Anyone who thinks people can be frightened through online boycott campaigns is mistaken,” he said. “I call on every Israeli citizen to show Lando that he is not alone, to visit his social-media pages, follow him and support him. Every such show of support is an answer to attempts to silence him.”

Vannata is scheduled to enter the ring against Levy as part of Monday’s GFN1 card, which will feature Israeli and international competitors in kickboxing, mixed martial arts and Muay Thai.