At UFC 329 , held last Saturday (11), in Las Vegas (USA), Brazilian Ryan Gandra maintained his good form in the organization by achieving his second knockout victory in the Ultimate. The result reinforced his status as one of the promising fighters in the middleweight category (up to 83,9 kg) and increased expectations about the next step in his career in the octagon. Emboldened by the triumph, the Minas Gerais native also showed confidence and guaranteed that he will be the future owner of the belt.
In an interview with Laerte Viana's YouTube channel, the Minas Gerais native surprised everyone by revealing that he would like to face one of the great names in history, Israel Adesanya . According to Gandra, a duel against the Nigerian would make more sense than facing athletes who, like him, are still seeking a place in the rankings.
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“It’s not about rushing. Which is riskier: fighting a guy who’s rising and has the same goal as me, or fighting Adesanya, who’s already a name, a guy I can have a position with in the rankings? That’s my point of view. I respect him a lot. Before I even thought about entering the UFC, I watched him fight,” the knockout artist explained.
Despite acknowledging Adesanya's importance in the history of the division, the fighter believes that a duel against the Nigerian could accelerate his rise and open doors to even greater challenges. Undefeated in the UFC, the Minas Gerais native demonstrates confidence that he is prepared to face elite names, even at an early stage of his journey in the organization.
Gandra aims for the middleweight belt.
Confident after another knockout victory, the knockout artist made it clear that his goals go far beyond simply entering the middleweight rankings. The Brazilian stated that he intends to become one of the main forces in the division and did not hide his dream of winning the belt.
"We're going to be the problem in this division. I'm very ambitious in what I do. I'm going to own the belt one day," the fighter from Minas Gerais concluded.
Gradually, Gandra is transforming his rhetoric into results inside the octagon. With aggressive performances and convincing victories, the fighter is establishing himself as one of the rising stars in the division and is already starting to target more prominent opponents. It remains to be seen whether the organization will grant the Minas Gerais native's request or opt for an intermediate test before pitting him against a former champion like Israel Adesanya.
Watch Ryan Gandra's spectacular knockout at UFC 329.
OH MY GANDRA 🔥 @Gandra_Ryan makes it a quick night with an emphatic knockout victory in RD1!
[ #UFC329 is LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/cAt0vPcmuJ
— UFC (@ufc) July 11, 2026
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