After years of making tough decisions, Ryan Gandra’s hard work has finally paid off, one of which is his recent UFC contract bout with Trent Miller.
The fighter was invited by UFC bantamweight Norma Dumont to be a part of Marco Tulio’s camp, and soon after, he was selected to compete on DWCS. Around that same time, Gandra learned his partner was pregnant.
“I had no inspiration,” Ryan Gandra said. “I was turning 30, but then I heard Cesar Almeida tell his story. I’ve followed Cesinha’s career for many years, even before he was in the UFC, and he said the same thing. When you get to a certain age, you kind of lose hope. When David’s news came, I thought to myself, ‘It’s not an if anymore, it will happen. I’ll make it happen.’
“David will be one of my biggest inspirations. He came at the right time. I’ve had several relationships but never thought I would be a dad, and that news came right before the Contender.”
Ryan Gandra also had the opportunity to be part of Paulo Costa’s latest training camp, as he works with coach Johnny Vieira, and he feels prepared to earn a UFC deal Tuesday night.
“It’s not about winning, it’s about impressing,” Gandra said. “Did you see the first [DWCS] card? Guys didn’t deliver. The fear of losing takes away the desire to win, right? Strategy is very important, but it’s not about the strategy [at DWCS]. It’s about making things happen. You have to deliver. If your opponent doesn’t want to fight, you have to make them fight.”
Ryan Gandra holds a 7-1 pro record and has been victorious in his past six fights, with four finishes, the last two under the LFA banner.
