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Damian Pinas: Im not here to finish fights early; it just happens

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Damian Pinas: 'I'm not here to finish fights early; it just happens'

Damian Pinas upped his record to 10-1 at UFC 329. | 📷:
Getty/UFC


Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight Damian
Pinas says he is in no hurry to finish his fights, although
they usually end early.

Pinas took on Cesar
Almeida at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas. After a back-and-forth striking battle,
Pinas floored his opponent with a vicious right hand. While Almeida
appeared to be out, the referee waited for another right hand from
Pinas before stepping in.

Damian Pinas explains why another first-round UFC finish wasn’t
the plan

While Pinas is known for his signature jab-cross combination, he
believes he displayed a more versatile arsenal at UFC 329. This
marked Pinas' second first-round finish in as many UFC outings and
third, including his
Dana White's Contender Series win last year.

However, “The Baba Yaga†claims he is in no hurry to finish fights.
According to Pinas, he is ready for three-round matches, although
his opponents usually go down when he touches them. The 24-year-old
says he is naturally patient with everything in life.

“I showed them that I can do more than they know,†Pinas said in a
post-fight interview. “Some people see the video; they think,
‘Damian is a striker, just a simple 1-2.' I can do whatever I want.
I just throw my 1-2 because it's the easiest way to put them out…
I'm not here to finish fights early; it just happens. I don't do
it; it just happens. I'm ready to fight three-round fights. But
when I touch them, they get out. I naturally am patient with
everything. I'm a chill guy.â€

Pinas (10-1) has gone past the first round only twice in his 10
career wins. Meanwhile, Almeida (7-3) is now on a two-fight slump
and 3-3 in the UFC.

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MMA

Farid Basharat reveals he fought through torn MCL, meniscus at UFC 329

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4 hours ago

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July 12, 2026

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Farid Basharat reveals he fought through torn MCL, meniscus at UFC 329

Farid Basharat said he was compromised going into UFC 329. | 📷:
Getty/UFC


Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight Farid
Basharat never considered pulling out of
UFC 329 despite suffering an injury just weeks ahead of his
bout.

Basharat was originally scheduled to fight Ethyn Ewing
at UFC 329 on Saturday in Las Vegas. However, Ewing pulled out due
to an undisclosed injury and was replaced by promotional debutant
John
Garza on six days' notice.

Farid Basharat discloses two leg injuries he suffered while
training for UFC 329

While Basharat was as high as a -700 favorite on some sportsbooks,
Garza gave the Afghan-born Brit a run for his money. Basharat
eventually won by a closely-contested unanimous decision. He
subsequently revealed that he tore his MCL just three weeks ahead
of UFC 329.

However, “Ferocious,†who is admittedly sometimes too tough for his
own good, never considered pulling out of the fight.

“Three weeks before the fight, I tore my meniscus and my MCL,â€
Basharat said in a post-bout interview. “In the last three weeks,
if you go back to some of the fight week footage, I've either got a
knee brace on, I'm limping, or I'm warming up extensively.
Sometimes I need to be protected from my own toughness. I didn't
think for a second to pull out.â€

As for Ewing pulling out due to an injury, Basharat (16-0) wants to
give him the benefit of the doubt. The undefeated 135-pounder now
has seven UFC wins to his name. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Garza (6-2)
showed that he belongs even with little notice.

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MMA

Ryan Gandra details study that led to quick KO of Zachary Reese at UFC 329

Published

7 hours ago

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July 12, 2026

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Ryan Gandra details study that led to quick KO of Zachary Reese at UFC 329

Ryan
Gandra made quick work of Zachary Reese at UFC 329. | 📷:
Getty/UFC


Ryan
Gandra's preparation for his second outing in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship made his 6'3†opponent seem
“small.â€

Gandra (10-1) took on Zachary
Reese in a middleweight bout at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas. The Brazilian took a little over a minute
to drop Reese with a massive left hand. He landed a few follow-up
shots before referee Mike Beltran stepped in, albeit the stoppage
was arguably slightly early amidst protests from Reese.

Ryan Gandra credits film study and preparation after UFC 329
victory

Gandra says he had prepared so hard that his nearly flawless
victory felt automatic. “Problema†also claims to have studied
Reese so well that the 6'3†American felt small despite being
taller than him by two inches.

“It felt automatic. We did so much work. We studied him. We got
ready for this fight as if it was only thing to worry about in the
world,†Gandra said in a post-fight interview. “I felt him small. I
know he is a huge guy, but I felt him small. Why? Because it felt
automatic. Because I knew him so well and I was ready for it. I
know that he is a big guy, but he felt smaller. That's the fruit of
a lot of work, a lot of study, and a job well done.â€

Gandra has finished 8 of his 10 career wins and ended both of his
UFC fights inside the first round, with a combined Octagon time of
less than two minutes. Meanwhile, Reese is now on a two-fight slump
and is 4-4 in the UFC since making his promotional debut in
2023.

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UFC 329: 'McGregor vs. Holloway 2' Live Results and Highlights

Published

11 hours ago

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July 12, 2026

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UFC 329: 'McGregor vs. Holloway 2' Live Results and Highlights

The Octagon returns to T-Mobile Arena for tonight's UFC 329 event, a 14-bout fight card headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2.

McGregor and Holloway originally met way back in August of 2013 in a featherweight contest, with ‘Notorious' emerging victorious by unanimous decision. This time around their fight will be taking place at welterweight.

Conor McGregor (22-6 MMA) will be competing for the first time since July of 2021, where he suffered a first-round TKO loss at the hands of longtime rival Dustin Poirier. The Irish star earned his most recent victory at UFC 246 in January of 2020, when he defeated Donald Cerrone via first-round TKO.

Meanwhile, Max Holloway (27-9 MMA) will enter tonight's contest looking to rebound, this after losing his BMF title to Charles Oliveira in his most recent effort this past March at UFC 326. Prior to that setback, ‘Blessed' was coming off a unanimous decision victory over Dustin Poirier.

UFC 329 is co-headlined by a highly anticipated lightweight bout between Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint Denis.

Pimblett (23-4 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since suffering a tough loss to Justin Gaethje in a fight for the promotion‘s interim lightweight title this past January at UFC 324. Prior to that setback, ‘The Baddy' had strung together nine straight victories, which included stoppage wins over Michael Chandler and King Green.

Meanwhile, Benoit Saint Denis (17-3 MMA) will enter tonight's co-main event on a four-fight winning streak, with his most recent victory coming by way of TKO over Dan Hooker this past February at UFC 325. ‘God of War' has finished all four of his most recent opponents, earning 2 submissions and 2 KO's during that stretch.

Also featured on tonight's UFC 329 main card lineup is a key men's bantamweight contest between Cory Sandhagen and Mario Bautista.

Sandhagen (18-6 MMA) most previously took to the Octagon at UFC 320, where he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili for the promotion's bantamweight title. Prior to that setback, ‘The Sandman' had defeated former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo via TKO.

Meanwhile, Mario Bautista (17-3 MMA) was last seen in action this past February, where he scored a submission win over Vinicius Oliveira. Prior to that triumph, the 33-year-old as coming off a decision loss to Umar Nurmagomedov.

If that wasn't enough to get you interested, the UFC 329 main card lineup is kicked off by a highly anticipated lightweight bout between King Green and Terrance McKinney.

Green (35-17-1 MMA) will enter the contest sporting a three-fight winning streak, with his most recent Octagon victory coming over Jeremy Stephens by submission this past May at UFC 328. The longtime veteran has gone 3-2 over his past five fights overall.

Meanwhile, Terrance McKinney (18-8 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time scoring a 24-second TKO victory over Kyle Nelson this past March. ‘T Wrecks' has gone 3-1 over his past four bouts, earning first-round stoppages in all three of those wins.

Get all of tonight's live results and highlights below (refresh for updates):

UFC 329 Main Card (9pm EST on PPV)

170 lbs: Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway – Holloway def. McGregor via TKO (injury) in Round 1

155 lbs: Benoit Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett – Pimblett def. Saint Denis via submission (guillotine choke) in Round 1

135 lbs: Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista – Bautista def. Sandhagen by unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

125 lbs: Brandon Royval vs. Lone'er Kavangh – Royval def. Kavangh via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 3

155 lbs: King Green vs. Terrance McKinney – Green def. McKinney via TKO (punches) at 4:59 of Round 1

UFC 329 Televised Prelims (7pm EST on Paramount+)

205 lbs: Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov – Whittaker def. Krylov via TKO (punch) at 1:01 of Round 3

265 lbs: Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison – Steveson def. Ellison via KO at 2:31 of Round 1

135 lbs: Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez – Yanez def. Gardbrandt via TKO (punches) at 2:47 of Round 1

145 lbs: Kai Kamaka III vs. Luke Riley – Riley def. Kamaka via TKO (knees and punches) at 3:03 of Round 1

UFC 329 Early Prelims (5pm EST on Paramount+)

125 lbs: Tracy Cortez vs. Wang Cong – Cong def. Cortez by unanimous decision (29-27 x3)

185 lbs: Damian Pinas vs. Cesar Almeida – Pinas def. Almeida via KO (punch) at 4:44 of Round 1

135 lbs: Farid Basharat vs. Ryan Garza – Basharat def. Garza by unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

185 lbs: Ryan Gandra vs. Zach Reese – Gandra def. Reese via TKO (punches) at 1:15 of Round 1

125 lbs: Cody Durden vs. Alessandro Costa – Costa def. Durden via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:19 of Round 2

Who are you picking to win tonight's rematch between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway? Share your predictions in the comment section PENN Nation!

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