Gordon Ryan Announces His Retirement

Gordon Retires

“Today marks 10 years at black belt, 10 years on top of the sport, and the probable end to my competitive career. As many of you know, I’ve had this debilitating and seemingly unfixable stomach issue since recurring staph infections/antibiotics wiped out my good gut biome. Without going into too much boring detail, the problem has gone through phases of better and worse over the years, and has now morphed into a multitude of new problems, including me just getting sick or staph whenever I train hard and compromise my immune system in any way.

“Because of these issues, I have not been able to train or lift hard since January of 2024, as I just begin dry heaving immediately when I do.“I competed in ADCC with no camp, at 10 percent of how I should have been operating, and I have seen no improvement in my condition since. This, of course, has been immensely frustrating, as my technical skills are far better than ever, my body is otherwise very healthy, and I’m only 30 (10 years from my prime). I have so much more left to give if I could just fix this one issue,” Ryan said

Legacy

Ryan became famous for his “predictive grappling,” where he would publicly announce exactly how he was going to finish an opponent weeks before the match—and then execute it perfectly. His 2022 ADCC run saw him submit almost every opponent, including André Galvão.

Ryan also changed the financial landscape of the sport. Before his rise, most BJJ athletes lived modestly. Ryan used his social media to create massive hype and demand higher paydays. He proved that a sub-only grappler could command six-figure appearance fees and sell out arenas.

Even while battling debilitating health issues, Ryan’s tactical mind remained his greatest weapon. His wins at ADCC 2024 against Felipe Pena and Yuri Simoes, achieved while his body was arguably at its weakest, proved he could overcome severe physical issues.