​Ryan Gandra is set to appear on UFC 329, a card headlined by the unexpected return of the legendary Conor McGregor, who will face Max Holloway in Las Vegas on Saturday. The moment feels almost surreal for Gandra, who admits it’s remarkable to be in this position so early in his MMA journey.
Gandra kicked off his amateur career in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, in October 2021, not long after McGregor broke his leg against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264. While McGregor was sidelined, the Brazilian built his own path, continuing to compete as an amateur before turning pro and posting a 9-1 record, which includes first-round finishes on Dana White’s Contender Series and UFC events.
“While the guy was away, I was just some random athlete, coming from where I came from, building my story so I could end up fighting on the day of McGregor’s return,” Gandra told MMA Fighting. “Man, that’s incredibly emotional. When I got the news, I said, ‘This can’t be real’ [laughs]. It was kind of unexpected, fighting on the day of the return of the legendary McGregor. I’m really happy. I wasn’t expecting to fight on a numbered card, especially one like this, not this soon. It comes with a lot of responsibility and requires a lot of hard work.”
Gandra will meet Zach Reese in his UFC 329 matchup. He already knew Reese’s style from studying “Savage” while preparing to face Jose Medina in his UFC debut. “[Reese] fought Medina and went the distance, and he knocked him down a couple of times in the third round,” Gandra explained. “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 [laughs]. He also faced Michel Pereira, and I was rooting for Michel without ever imagining I’d fight this guy someday. It’s crazy when you think about it. Without even realizing it, I was already studying him.”
Being in the UFC requires constant readiness because opportunities come to those who stay prepared. Gandra views this matchup as an early challenge in his career against a veteran who already has nine UFC bouts under his belt. “It’s going to be a war. The UFC is betting on me.”
Gandra’s UFC debut lasted only 41 seconds, when he detonated a flurry of punches to drop Medina in Mexico City. Although he missed out on a performance bonus that night, he knows bigger tests lie ahead, and he’s prepared to seize them. “He’s tough. He’s no joke,” Gandra said of Reese. “I’m not going to underestimate him, just like I didn’t underestimate Medina. But my style is only going to change if the fight starts going in a direction that’s different from our strategy. What you saw against Medina, you’re going to see again against Zach. I think the UFC has made it pretty clear these days that they want for better SEO.”