Ryan Gandra to face Zach Reese at UFC 329 in Las Vegas

Ryan Gandra will face Zach Reese on the UFC 329 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Yardbarker.com reported that Gandra compiled a 9-1 professional record during Conor McGregor's injury layoff. The Brazilian middleweight made his amateur debut in Belo Horizonte in October 2021, less than four months after McGregor broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264.

He had one additional amateur bout before turning professional. Gandra recorded nine wins in ten professional fights, including first-round knockouts on Dana White's Contender Series and in his UFC debut. He defeated Jose Medina by knockout in 41 seconds in Mexico City but did not receive a performance bonus.

Gandra's opponent, Zach Reese, fought Medina to a decision and also met Michel Pereira during a nine-fight UFC run. Gandra said he studied footage of Reese's bout against Medina for two hours in slow motion. "It was a 15-minute fight, but it took me two hours to watch it because I went through it in slow motion, paying attention to every detail," Gandra told MMA Fighting.

He added that he expects a tougher test than his debut. Gandra cited McGregor's influence, stating he used to hear the Irish fighter say, "When you say it, it happens," and has carried that mindset. He said he wants the middleweight title and is willing to skip unranked opponents to reach it.