UFC 329: Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese Preview & Prediction
A middleweight coin-flip on the UFC 329 prelims sees power puncher Ryan Gandra take on the inconsistent Zachary Reese.
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese facts
What time are Ryan Gandra and Zachary Reese expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 329
What TV channel is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 main card
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (Welterweight)
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett (Lightweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone'er Kavanagh (Flyweight)
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (Lightweight)
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 prelims
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (Light Heavyweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (Heavyweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (Featherweight)
Tracy Cortez vs Wang Cong (Women's Flyweight)
Damian Pinas vs Cesar Almeida (Middleweight)
Farid Basharat vs John Garza (Bantamweight)
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese (Middleweight)
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden (Flyweight)
Ryan Gandra: “Problema” brings first-round power and little else on tape
Ryan Gandra (9-1) is one of the more explosive finishers to enter the middleweight picture, though we’ve barely seen him at UFC level. Gandra needed just 41 seconds to destroy Jose Medina on his debut, the sixth first-round stoppage of a career built almost entirely on quick finishes. The Brazilian is an orthodox pressure striker with one-shot power, starting fast and winging hooks in the pocket. The concerns are that he attacks in straight lines, is defensively loose, and at 31 we’ve got hardly any tape of him past the opening round.
Zachary Reese: Rangy finisher who can’t string it together
Zachary Reese (10-3) is the definition of inconsistent. The Texan burst onto the scene as a prospect before getting fraud checked on his debut, slammed unconscious by Cody Brundage while hanging onto a triangle from bottom. Since then it’s been a rollercoaster – a sharp submission win over Jackson McVey and a decision over Dusko Todorovic, but also a knockout loss to Azamat Bekoev and a split decision defeat to Michel Pereira. At 6’4” with a 77 inch reach, Reese has the frame, the check hooks, and fast submission game to hurt anyone, but he just can’t seem to put a clean run together.
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese prediction
These guys have a shared opponent, both men have defeated Jose Medina, but Gandra had him cold in 41 seconds where Reese needed all three rounds. Gandra is the bigger threat early, Reese is the more rounded operator the longer it goes.
Reese keeps his hands low when he kicks, and Gandra head-hunts with malicious intent, that’s exactly the opening Pereira found when he dropped Reese with a straight down the pipe in the opening minute. Gandra starts fast, and throws hard in combination, and if he lands clean early, Reese has shown he can be put away.
However, Gandra attacks in straight lines, and Reese moves relatively well laterally to potentially make him miss and counter with the check hook on the way out. Reese’s smartest play is to show Gandra the takedown threat early, even if it’s to stop the Brazilian from rushing in recklessly. If Reese can survive the first round, Gandra’s fast-twitch style and total lack of third-round tape can become a problem.
It comes down to the first five minutes. Gandra’s power is the likeliest fight-ender, and given that we’ve seen Reese hurt early, the first-round KO is the play. If Reese survives, I fancy him to take over.
Prediction: Ryan Gandra to win by KO/TKO in round one
