Ryan Gandra defeats Zachary Reese by KO/TKO
Gandra vs Reese — Middleweight · UFC 329
What happened
The result, the defining moments, and what the verdict means.
Reese landed early kicks to start.
Gandra dropped him with a left hand.
Follow-up punches produced the TKO at 1:15.
- Secondary fallback play-by-play reportSherdog · UFC 329 play-by-play
Watch
More from this fight.
More videos · 8 clips
Signature moments
Signature moments
Who Called It?
How the analysts' picks held up once the cage door closed.
Analyst picks: DFS By The Numbers perfect call; Mike Finch perfect call; AJ perfect call; Lucas Tracy perfect call; The MMA Guru perfect call; Bedtime MMA perfect call; We Want Picks called it; TheWeasle missed; HopperoMMA missed; Half The Battle missed.
7 of 10 nailed it · 6 nailed the finish ★.
The experts above are a lens, not credentials we conferred — analyst, fighter or betting desk.
Full analyst picks ↓
DFS By The Numbers Betting deskAnalyst called 60 of 88 DFS By The Numbers: predicted Gandra · KO/TKO · R1. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Picks Gandra to force a short, violent fight. He expects Gandra to pressure forward, stuff Reese's takedown attempts and hurt him with power before the matchup can settle into a longer contest.
Track record: winner called in 60 of 88 resolved picks, 23 a perfect call.
Mike Finch Betting deskAnalyst called 23 of 36 Mike Finch: predicted Gandra · KO/TKO. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Trusts Gandra's power and forward pressure despite defensive holes. He sees Reese as dangerous with kicks and submissions, but not the opponent to punish those openings before Gandra's heavier offense lands.
“Gandra KO.”
Track record: winner called in 23 of 36 resolved picks, 9 a perfect call.
AJ Betting deskAnalyst called 52 of 71 AJ: predicted Gandra · KO/TKO. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Sides with Gandra's pressure, boxing background and power in both hands. He respects Reese's kicking game, but expects Gandra to bully him in close and make the knockout threat count.
Track record: winner called in 52 of 71 resolved picks, 25 a perfect call.
Lucas Tracy Analyst called 21 of 32 Lucas Tracy: predicted Gandra · KO/TKO. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Backs Gandra over Reese because he trusts the Contender Series-style Brazilian finishing upside more than Reese's volatile highlight-reel profile. He expects Gandra to turn that edge into a heavy TKO finish.
“I'm picking him to get this one done by a filthy TKO.”
Track record: winner called in 21 of 32 resolved picks, 8 a perfect call.
The MMA Guru Analyst called 44 of 65 The MMA Guru: predicted Gandra · KO/TKO · R1. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Trusts Gandra's power edge much more than Reese's durability. He sees Reese as hittable enough that Gandra can land clean before the fight reaches the later grappling-heavy phases that would make the matchup more complicated.
“I'm going to go with Ryan Gandra KO in the first round.”
Track record: winner called in 44 of 65 resolved picks, 16 a perfect call.
Bedtime MMA Analyst called 67 of 99 Bedtime MMA: predicted Gandra · KO/TKO · R1. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Perfect call.
Picks Ryan Gandra by first-round knockout because he expects Gandra's pressure and real punching power to force Zachary Reese into exchanges. He respects Reese's length and kicking game, but thinks Reese is hittable once opponents close distance and does not have enough stopping power to keep Gandra off him.
“I'm going to say that Ryan Goundrey wins this one by knockout.”
Track record: winner called in 67 of 99 resolved picks, 28 a perfect call.
We Want Picks Betting desk called 55 of 87 We Want Picks: predicted Gandra · to win. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Hit.
Both hosts side with Ryan Gandra while acknowledging Reese can become live if he survives the opening minutes. They trust Gandra's pressure and right-hand power against Reese's tall, hittable defensive posture.
- Jacob specifically liked a first-round knockout angle, but the shared desk pick is Gandra to win.
“I'm all over Ryan Gandra.”
Track record: winner called in 55 of 87 resolved picks.
TheWeasle Analyst called 34 of 48 TheWeasle: predicted Reese · Sub · R3. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Miss.
Acknowledges Gandra's first-round power as the danger, but trusts Reese as the more skilled and technical fighter if he survives the early storm. He expects Reese to use body kicks and grappling as the fight extends, then submit Gandra with a rear-naked choke in round three.
“I'm going to go with the more skilled fighter.”
Track record: winner called in 34 of 48 resolved picks, 14 a perfect call.
HopperoMMA Analyst called 41 of 65 HopperoMMA: predicted Reese · KO/TKO · R1. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Miss.
Picks Zachary Reese to rebound with his size, striking and finishing ability. He acknowledges Ryan Gandra looked good in his UFC arrival, but trusts Reese as the bigger, more rounded fighter with the power to end it early.
Track record: winner called in 41 of 65 resolved picks, 15 a perfect call.
Half The Battle Analyst called 33 of 48 Half The Battle: predicted Reese · to win. Actual Gandra · KO/TKO R1. Result: Miss. Note: Low-confidence lean; he says either man winning would not surprise him.
Leans slightly toward Zachary Reese in a volatile fight because he trusts Reese more once the early danger settles. He says Gandra's power and physicality could be a problem, but thinks Reese can take over if he finds range and survives the opening exchanges.
* Low-confidence lean; he says either man winning would not surprise him.
Track record: winner called in 33 of 48 resolved picks, 7 a perfect call.
Archive Pre-fight material — kept for transparency.
- 9-1-0
- Record
- 10-3-0
- 3-0 last 3
- Recent formRecent formWin–loss record over the fighter’s last five bouts, newest first, as carried in their UFC/FightMetric career stats.
- 2-1 last 3
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- Age
- 32
- Orthodox
- StanceStanceWhich side a fighter leads from — a striking term, not a religious one. Orthodox: right-handed, left foot and hand forward (the common default). Southpaw: the mirror image, right side forward (usually a left-hander). Switch: changes between the two during a fight.
- Orthodox
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- Sig. strikes landed / minStrikes / minSignificant strikes landed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter lands for every minute of fight time — a read on striking output and pace. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Sig. strikes absorbed / minAbsorbed / minSignificant strikes absorbed per minuteAverage number of significant strikes a fighter takes for every minute of fight time. Lower is better — it means they get hit less often. From UFC/FightMetric career stats.
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- Striking defenseStrike def.Striking defenseThe percentage of opponents’ significant strikes that do not land — strikes slipped, blocked or evaded. Higher is better. Not the same as striking accuracy, which counts your own strikes that land. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Takedown defenseTD def.Takedown defenseThe percentage of opponents’ takedown attempts that are stuffed. Higher means harder to put on the mat. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Avg. fight timeAvg. timeAverage fight timeThe mean length of the fighter’s bouts (minutes:seconds) — a rough read on whether they tend to finish early or go the distance. From UFC/FightMetric.
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- Brazil
- Nationality
- USA
Career stats per UFC.com; recent form is each fighter's last five bouts. Numbers reflect records coming into fight night. Bars compare each stat on a fixed scale; the “Edge” marker flags the leading corner where the gap is meaningful. The snapshot plots five career rates — output, striking defense, durability (strikes absorbed, inverted), takedown defense and finish rate — each normalised on its own scale.
Pre-fight analysis — how we saw it going in
Case for Gandra
Gandra gives this UFC 329 middleweight page its cleanest hook: he has looked like a first-round problem everywhere the level has risen. He blasted Jose Daniel Medina in 41 seconds in his UFC debut after doing the same kind of damage on Contender Series and LFA, and his whole profile is built around making opponents react before they can settle. That is especially relevant against Reese because the American's fights almost always swing hard in one direction or the other. If Gandra gets Reese backing up behind the long guard instead of setting range, the Brazilian's pressure and left hand can turn the bout into another short, violent statement.
Case for Reese
Reese is the argument for chaos with a broader toolkit. He is taller, longer, already owns UFC wins by knockout, submission and decision, and just showed against Jackson McVey that he can survive a bad first round, change the geography and still finish. That depth matters because Gandra's page still carries one unresolved question: what happens when the early blitz does not work? If Reese can get past the opening surge, force scrambles or simply make Gandra throw from too far out, the fight starts favoring the man who has already proven he can win after momentum changes mid-bout.
What We Were Watching For
- Reese's first few jabs and front kicks — if he establishes distance early, the size edge starts mattering immediately.
- Whether Gandra keeps the pressure layered or just hunts the bomb — Reese is hittable, but he is also dangerous when opponents overrun entries.
- Any proactive wrestling from Reese after contact — forcing Gandra to defend changes the fight from a sprint into a deeper test.
- Round two and beyond if it gets there — this is still the biggest unanswered part of Gandra's profile and the clearest Reese path.
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