Gordon Ryan: The King of Grappling
He has dominated the no-gi scene for many years and is now considered the GOAT of no-gi Jiu Jitsu. Gordon Ryan is not only a master on the mats but also a marketing genius for attracting attention to himself and the sport of Jiu-Jitsu. He is a big part of that nowadays. People competing in no-gi can profit more from competitions or by creating Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructional videos.
Who is Gordon Ryan
- Born 8 of July 1995 in New Jersey
- Started BJJ at the age of 15 under Miguel Benitez
- He got his black belt in 2016 from Garry Tonon
- 5 Times ADCCand 2 times IBJJF World Champion
Most significant Accomplishments in the Last Years
- 2024 – Won against Josh Saunders
- 2023 – Beats Felipe Pena in Who Number One
- 2022 – Won the ADCC again and beat Andre Galvao in the super fight
- 2021 – He announces he is going to retire, so no major wins during this year
Gordon Ryan Record
- 82 percent submission rate
- 98 wins and five losses (only one submission loss)
- RNC stands for 33% of his submission wins
- Inside Heal Hook for 10% of his wins
Personal Life
Gordon has been open about suffering from stomach health issues, which have stopped him from competing several times. This was part of his early retirement in 2021. Lately, he has said that with the help of experts, his condition is much better but still not 100 percent. On his Instagram page, he often shares updates about his health and treatments, so if you are a fan of Gordon Ryan, I recommend following his IG. He also has an IG account where he shares technical breakdowns.
He is almost always seen with his girlfriend, Nathalia Santoro, who is a brown belt under John Danaher. She is often the training partner in the Gordon Ryan videos.
After the team split, where some members left and started the B-Team, his brother Nick Ryan also left, listening to them, it seems like Gordon and Nick are not in contact anymore.
Gordon Ryan BJJ Fanatics – Best Selling Videos
Gordon Ryans’s five most popular BJJ Fanatics videos
- Shall not Pass
- The Pillars of Defence
- Systematically Attacking the Legs
- Systematically Attacking the Guard
John Danaher and Gordon Ryan’s videos are by far the best-selling instructionals at BJJ Fanatics, which is no surprise. Gordon has long used his fights to promote his videos. You can often see him using certain moves he teaches in his videos. He is one of few who are so good that he can often choose what to use, and in a few matches, he even called out how he would finish the match before it even started.
Being able to showcase what he teaches in live competition is something I believe is part of his success in selling videos. The best techniques to learn are the ones that have been battle-tested, and you know that what he teaches works. Compared to other instructors, you can often see teaching things with a very low probability of working in a competition.
Which video to start with depends on where you are in your BJJ journey. As John Danaher always says, the most important skill to learn first is how to escape and work from the bottom. So, the Gordon Ryan Pillars of Defence are a great place to start.
His YouTube Channel
Following Gordon on social media, I have seen how he is building a brand around his name that is more than only BJJ content. He tries to reach a wider audience and seems to succeed with it. And the latest attrition to his brans is his Gordon Ryan YouTube Channel. This showcases his life, and so far, there is a mix of Jiu-Jitsu content and videos where he shares his passion for cars. The channel was released in 2024 and has just started, and so far, in July 2024, there are 13 videos and 25,000+ subscribers.
Summary
Gordon Ryan is the largest star in grappling, and his completion record and interest in his BJJ fanatics instructionals speak for themselves. 2024, he has been very open about his health issues and was a way from completion, but in June, he stepped on the mat again and competed against the Australian ADCC veteran Josh Saunders. He saw this match as a test before ADCC 2024 to see if he was healthy enough to compete in ADCC this year. Fingers crossed that we will see him competing in the ADCC 2024.
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