Ryan Gandra felt “much more nervous” before the Contender Series than he did before his UFC debut

Ryan Gandra was out to have fun in his UFC debut on Saturday. Gandra made his debut against Jose Medina in a middleweight bout at UFC Mexico on Saturday at Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico. Gandra barely landed a punch as he dropped Medina with a flurry of punches, finishing him in just 41 seconds.

Gandra (9-1) earned his UFC contract with a first-round knockout victory over Trent Miller on Dana White’s Contender Series last year. Gandra admits he was much more nervous about his Contender Series performance than he was about his UFC debut. The 30-year-old explains that the stakes are much higher on the Contender Series, as it is a chance to make or break your career. After landing a UFC contract, Gandra just wanted to have fun in his debut on Saturday.“To tell you the truth, I was a lot more nervous in the Contender Series,” Gandra said in a post-fight interview with the UFC. “Because when you think about it, the nerves kick in because that’s the opportunity for you to get into the organization. If you lose, you lose everything, you lose the contract, you lose the opportunity. So when I came here, prepared for the fight, I just wanted to have fun there and just enjoy myself. Because I have a contract with the biggest organization in the world.”

Trust the process

Gandra revealed that he expected the fight to go the distance, judging by his opponent’s durability. However, ‘Problema’ was confident in the work he had put in, and it more than paid off.”I never underestimate an opponent. I know he’s a durable guy. I think it would take three rounds. He’s fought some guys with really heavy hands and was able to keep the attacks going. We put in a lot of work, I was really confident in the work we put in. You saw what confidence brings. The attacks went in and Brazil came out on top.”

Gandra is undefeated in eight straight matches since his lone professional loss in 2022. Meanwhile, Medina (11-7) has now lost five in a row, including his shot at the Contender Series in 2023.