In a bold move that has sent shockwaves through the grappling community, Gordon Ryan has accepted Nicky Rodriguez’s $1 million challenge, but not without laying down a series of stringent conditions. Ryan, never one to shy away from confrontation, took to social media to address Rodriguez, whom he mockingly referred to as “Nicky Fraud,” and Craig Jones, labeling the latter as someone who “can’t win a comp.” Ryan’s response was as audacious as expected, offering a winner-takes-all match with the potential for an even larger payout, depending on the stakes set by Rodriguez and Jones.

Ryan proposed a high-stakes showdown where both Rodriguez and Jones would need to put up either $500,000 or $1 million each, with Ryan matching or exceeding their contributions. The twist? Ryan suggested that the matches occur on the same night, with the victor taking the entire pot. He didn’t hold back in questioning Rodriguez’s financial capability, noting the substantial tax burden Rodriguez would face and casting doubt on his ability to secure the necessary funds without outside sponsorship.

In typical Ryan fashion, the conditions for the proposed matches were non-negotiable: no time limits, submission-only, and minimal referee interference. Furthermore, Ryan stipulated that competitors must wear long-sleeve rash guards and spats to prevent any accusations of greasing—a nod to previous allegations made against Rodriguez. Ryan made it clear that the competition would happen on his terms, at a time and place of his choosing, effectively putting the ball in Rodriguez and Jones’ court.

Ryan stated on his IG:

“I will say this once and only once. To Nicky Fraud and Can’t-Win-a-Comp Craig—since you both have my 🍆 in your mouth 24/7, I have a few proposals for you. We either do two matches on one night, both of you either put up 500k or 1 million each, and I’ll put up 1-2 million, depending. We both compete on the same night, and the winner takes all.

If one of you is too 😺 to accept, I’ll face one of you for 1m vs 1m, which I think is comical, seeing as the fact that NF is going to have to pay roughly 350k in taxes. I know pea brain has never made 7 figures in his life, but after taxes, you’ll have around 650k left, maybe 700 if you’re lucky. After putting at least 20% down on your million-dollar house, I would absolutely be willing to bet you don’t have 300-350k cash on hand to put into escrow. This means you’ll have to secure a sponsor to front you that money. And seeing as I’ve beaten you both a total of 5 times, including 4 submissions, good luck on that.

Matches will not be left up to judges, will have minimal ref interference, and thus will be no time limit, submission-only. Athletes will also be required to wear long-sleeve rash guards and spats (with a no roll-up rule) since four people have already accused you of greasing (Mason, Pena, me, Yuri).

The competition will take place when I’m healthy, if I’m healthy, and on a date and platform I decide. Until then, keep dreaming that you’ll ever be anywhere near my level after beating guys who can’t make it out of the first day at ADCC. If you don’t respond here or publicly, I take this as a no, and I will not respond after this unless I get a clear yes or no to this response. I’m not negotiating.

I am the king; you follow my rules, or you shut up. And before you bet your newfound “wealth,” make sure you’re not going to default on an IRS payment and end up in jail or homeless, because only one of us has a million to blow, and we all know who that is 😉.

This is mostly a message to NF, because we all know Craig’s the ultimate can-crusher and wants absolutely nothing to do with any kind of physical confrontation with me. Well, at least Craig will be at the academy helping you prepare for the camp just like he did for CGI and ADCC… oh wait…”